Australians in hospital emergency departments waiting days for ward beds as health system overwhelmed

Cracks in health system have grown into massive caves' as Covid, flu, surgery backlogs and staff shortages place major strain on sector

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Australians face ballooning waits from 24 hours up to several days to be admitted to hospital wards, as a combination of health worker shortages, surging Covid and flu cases and the legacy of pandemic backlogs means many hospitals have run out of beds to admit new patients.

Bed block" - when a hospital is so full there are no beds to admit new patients so emergency departments become clogged - has been widely reported by health workers across several states, with health industry sources telling Guardian Australia wait times are expected to remain high throughout coming months.

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