Best Public Hospitals in Sydney Ranked by Wait Times and Patient Reviews 2026

How the Rankings Were Compiled

The rankings below are based on data from the NSW Health Bureau of Health Information, the MyHospitals website, and patient satisfaction surveys conducted by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Emergency department wait times are measured from the time a patient arrives to the time they are seen by a medical practitioner, and the figures represent average performance across the 2025-2026 financial year. Patient satisfaction scores are drawn from the annual NSW Health patient experience survey.

Top-Ranked Public Hospitals

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown is the highest-ranked major hospital in Sydney for overall patient experience. The hospital is a principal teaching hospital of the University of Sydney and provides specialist services including cardiology, oncology, and neurosurgery. Emergency department wait times average 38 minutes for urgent cases and 62 minutes for semi-urgent cases, which is below the NSW state average of 44 minutes and 78 minutes respectively. Patient satisfaction scores are consistently above the state average, with 87 percent of patients reporting that they would recommend the hospital to family and friends.

Westmead Hospital in the western suburbs is the largest hospital in NSW by bed capacity and the primary referral centre for western Sydney. The hospital has 1,045 beds and provides the full range of specialist services including a level-four neonatal intensive care unit and a major trauma centre. Emergency department wait times average 52 minutes for urgent cases, which is slightly above the state average, reflecting the hospital's high patient volume and its role as the primary trauma centre for western Sydney. Patient satisfaction scores are 81 percent, which is in line with the state average for hospitals of similar size and complexity.

Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick is the highest-ranked paediatric hospital in NSW. The hospital specialises in the care of children and adolescents and provides specialist services including oncology, cardiology, and neurology. Emergency department wait times for paediatric patients average 25 minutes, which is well below the state average for paediatric emergency departments. Patient satisfaction scores among parents and carers are 91 percent, which is the highest of any paediatric hospital in the state. The hospital also operates a network of community paediatric clinics across Sydney.

St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst is the highest-ranked hospital in the inner city for patient experience. The hospital is a major referral centre for cardiac care, oncology, and mental health services. Emergency department wait times average 35 minutes for urgent cases, which is below the state average. Patient satisfaction scores are 89 percent, which is among the highest of any hospital in the Sydney metropolitan area. The hospital also operates a large outpatient clinic and a range of community health services.

Royal North Shore Hospital on the lower north shore is the highest-ranked hospital in the northern suburbs. The hospital is a major referral centre for the northern Sydney region and provides specialist services including cardiology, neurology, and orthopaedic surgery. Emergency department wait times average 40 minutes for urgent cases, which is slightly below the state average. Patient satisfaction scores are 83 percent.

Community Hospitals Worth Considering

Concord Hospital in Concord is a 500-bed hospital in the inner west that provides a full range of general medical and surgical services. Emergency department wait times average 32 minutes for urgent cases, making it one of the faster public hospital emergency departments in the Sydney metropolitan area. Patient satisfaction scores are 86 percent.

Nepean Hospital in Kingswood serves the Blue Mountains and western Sydney region. The hospital has 520 beds and provides specialist services including obstetrics, paediatrics, and mental health. Emergency department wait times average 45 minutes for urgent cases. Patient satisfaction scores are 79 percent.

Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in Bankstown is a 500-bed hospital in south-west Sydney that provides general medical and surgical services. Emergency department wait times average 48 minutes for urgent cases. Patient satisfaction scores are 80 percent.

What to Expect at a Public Hospital

Public hospital emergency departments in Sydney operate on a triage system. Patients are assessed by a nurse on arrival and assigned a triage category based on the urgency of their condition. Category one is immediately life-threatening and patients are seen within seconds. Category five is non-urgent and patients may wait several hours. The wait times published by NSW Health are average figures and actual wait times vary depending on the time of day, the day of the week, and the number of patients in the department. Saturday and Sunday evenings are typically the busiest times.

Bring your Medicare card, any concession cards, and a list of current medications. If you have a private health insurance fund, bring your membership card as well. Public hospital treatment for Medicare cardholders is free, but you may be asked to make a co-payment for medications dispensed on discharge. If you have private insurance and elect to be treated as a private patient in a public hospital, you may be able to choose your treating doctor and avoid some waiting lists.

The NSW Health website publishes wait time data for all public hospital emergency departments at NSW Health Wait Times. The MyHospitals website publishes patient satisfaction data and clinical quality indicators for every public hospital in Australia.

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