THE percentage of people who can’t afford to visit a GP in the New England and north-west region of New South Wales has increased 36 per cent over the past four years, according to new research.
The report titled Access Denied: Australians Locked Out of Quality Healthcare, was commissioned by peak social services body NCOSS and conducted by the University of Canberra.
NCOSS chief executive Cara Varian said the report found patient experiences with vital health services including GPs, specialists and dentists in New South Wales had gone backwards since its 2020 report and that regional areas were more heavily impacted than metropolitan areas.
“This report illustrates the health system is broken,” Ms Varian said.
“When people can’t afford the most fundamental medical care it leads to bad health outcomes and puts pressure on hospitals,” she said.
“These statistics are particularly alarming in regional areas and are a wake-up call for the New South Wales and Commonwealth Governments to improve affordability and out-of-pocket costs for all Australians.”
The key statistics for the New England and North West region include:
Almost four in 10 people visit the ED due to their GP being unavailable, significantly higher than NSW overall (23 per cent) – the highest proportion across all NSW regions;
Almost one quarter (23 per cent) felt their GP could have provided care for their most recent ED visit (NSW 16 per cent);
Almost one in five delay/avoid seeing a specialist due to cost, almost doubling since 2020;
Three in 10 wait longer than acceptable to see a specialist;
One quarter delay/avoid seeing a dentist due to cost; and
More than six in 10 people have a long-term health condition, significantly higher than New South Wales overall (51 per cent).
“This report shows that people in regional NSW are copping the brunt of a stretched health system and that financial pressures have put healthcare out of reach for too many people,” Ms Varian said.
“Whether it’s visiting your doctor or your dentist, we need to make healthcare more accessible for people outside of metropolitan areas.”
NCOSS’s research suggests the NSW and Commonwealth Governments should take the following steps:
Improve affordability and reduce out-of-pocket costs, particularly for vulnerable populations;
Enhance healthcare access and availability in regional areas;
Provide targeted support to groups experiencing the most significant declines in healthcare experiences; and
Address the growing pressure on health services, including wait times and time spent with patients.
The report draws on the 2023 patient experience survey (PES) component of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS) and original data estimations produced by the University of Canberra for NCOSS.
NCOSS has developed an Online Mapping Tool which provides a geographic breakdown of the report data by SA2 level. To use the Online Mapping Tool.
Read the report here: https://www.ncoss.org.au/policy-advocacy/policy-research-publications/access-denied-australians-locked-out-of-quality-healthcare/
Media Release
0 Comments