A record number of patients have attended NSW public hospital emergency departments for the second successive quarter, with NSW Health blaming the state's longest flu season in a decade.
Almost 755,000 patients attended public hospital emergency departments in April, May and June this year, according to NSW Health data.
That was an 8.2 per cent increase on the same quarter in 2018.
"We have seen a staggering number of hospital presentations this quarter, which is not even peak winter, influenced by the longest flu season in a decade," NSW Health's Elizabeth Wood said in a statement.
The health department two weeks ago said more than 90,000 cases of influenza have been reported in NSW this year.
The number of NSW ambulance call-outs also increased by 9.7 per cent compared to the same period last year, up to 310,000 responses.
Ms Wood said almost three-quarters of public hospital emergency department patients had treatment start within the four-hour recommended wait time.
Australian Associated Press
