• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

NEW SOUTH WALES

Over 7.5 million (7,518,000) people, or just under one-third of Australia’s population (32.0%) live in New South Wales (NSW) with almost three-quarters (74.3%) living in a major city.¹

KEY FACTS — PEOPLE 15 YEARS AND OVER

• In 2013-14, the majority (83.2%) of people in New South Wales saw a general practitioner (GP) in the previous 12 months, with 69.4% of people receiving a prescription for medication.
• In NSW 7.0% of people saw an after hours GP in the previous 12 months. Just under one in ten (9.7%) people in NSW needed to see an after hours GP, yet, 27.6% of these people did not see one at all when needed.
• More than a third (37.7%) of people in NSW saw a medical specialist in the previous 12 months. While 40.5% of people needed to see one, 6.8% of these people did not see one at all when needed.
• In NSW, 24.8% of people who saw a medical specialist reported they waited longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment.
• Half (50.2%) of NSW’s population saw a dental professional in the previous 12 months. While 59.9% needed to see one, 16.3% of these people did not see one at all when needed.
• Over one in ten people (12.2%) in NSW were admitted to hospital in the previous 12 months.
• One in eight (13.8%) people in NSW reported visiting a hospital emergency department in the previous 12 months. Almost a quarter (23.7%) of these people thought their care could have been provided by a GP.
• In NSW, 16.5% of people reported that they saw three or more health professionals for the same condition, with 13.3% of these people reporting they experienced issues caused by a lack of communication between the three or more health professionals.

• In 2013-14, the proportion of people in New South Wales who saw a GP was similar to all Australians (83.2% compared with 82.2%).
• A similar proportion of people in NSW received a prescription for medication compared with all Australians (69.4% compared with 68.9%).
• Those who live in NSW were more likely than all Australians to see a medical specialist (37.7% compared with 36.2%). Similar proportions of people in New South Wales compared with all Australians, who saw a medical specialist reported they waited longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment (24.8% compared with 25.0%).
• A similar proportion of people saw a dental professional in NSW compared with Australia (50.2% compared with 49.7%).
• In NSW, similar proportions of people were admitted to hospital compared with Australia (12.2% compared with 12.8%).
• In 2013-14, the proportion of people in New South Wales who saw three or more health professionals for the same condition was similar to all Australians (16.5% compared with 16.1%). The proportion of people who reported experiencing issues caused by a lack of communication between the health professionals was also similar (13.3% compared with 14.3%).