This web report is an update to the report Use of emergency departments for lower urgency care: 2015–16 to 2018–19 and provides counts and rates of presentations to hospital emergency departments (ED) for lower urgency care by Statistical Area Level 3 and Primary Health Network, for 2020–21 and 2021–22. Reasons people present to the ED rather than a General Practitioner are also explored.
- Cat. no: PHC 17
-
Over 1 in 3 ED presentations (36%, or 3.1 million) were classified as lower urgency in 2021–22
-
42% of all lower urgency ED presentations were by people aged under 25 in 2021–22
-
45% of all lower urgency ED presentations were after-hours in 2021–22
-
People in regional PHN areas have higher rates of lower urgency ED presentations than people in metropolitan PHN areas