Thousands of patients walking out of NSW emergency departments without treatment due to wait times, report says

Tens of thousands of patients are simply walking out of emergency departments across New South Walesinstead of waiting hours for treatment as pressure on the state's health system reaches new highs, according to a damning report.

The Bureau of Health Information (BHI)'s Healthcare Quarterly report revealed response times are the worst they've been since records began more than a decade ago.

It also showed in the three months to June, patients waited longer for an ambulance than any other quarter, with half of the 176,000 responses taking over 16 minutes.

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In emergency departments about six in ten patients were seen on time, which is the worst figure since records began.

Also, 76,000 people who were waiting in emergency departments or had started treatment walked out before it was complete, a 67 per cent increase since 2019.

Authorities said the COVID-19 pandemic and the early flu season made it harder to meet performance targets.

"On any given day during that period over 2000 nurses were furloughed," NSW Health Deputy Secretary Professor Matthew Daly said.

NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns said the report was a concerning reflection of the healthcare system.

"This information is worse, it's up to date, it paints a damning picture of hospital administration," he said.