Surgery Wait Lists Improve Amid Sustained Emergency Activity in Northern NSW Hospitals
The latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly report highlights significant improvements in surgery wait lists across the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) for the April to June 2024 quarter, even as emergency department activity remained high.
According to NNSWLHD Chief Executive Tracey Maisey, local hospitals have seen increased demand across multiple markers, including ambulance arrivals and emergency presentations, while planned surgery performance has continued to improve.
Key highlights from the report include:
- 81% of the 3,809 planned surgeries performed during the quarter were completed on time, an increase of 4.6 percentage points compared to the same period in 2023.
- The number of patients waiting longer than clinically recommended for surgery dropped by 81.7%, with 145 patients still on the list, the lowest since December 2019.
Ms. Maisey encourages patients concerned about their condition to contact their doctor, who can review and adjust their surgery priority if necessary.
Emergency Department Activity
The report also shows a steady rise in emergency department activity:
- There were 56,496 emergency attendances in the quarter, up 3.4% from the previous year.
- Ambulance arrivals increased by 6.4%, totalling 9,576 arrivals.
- 70.1% of patients started their treatment on time, surpassing the NSW average of 63.7%.
- 75% of patients were transferred from paramedics to ED staff within 30 minutes, slightly above the NSW average of 73.7%.
- 70.4% of patients left the ED within four hours, significantly better than the NSW average of 54.7%.
Local Hospital Performance
Here’s a summary of individual hospital results for the quarter:
- Ballina District Hospital: ED attendances increased by 8.3% with 63.2% of patients starting treatment on time, and 71.4% leaving within four hours.
- Byron Central Hospital: ED attendances were up 3.1%, with 85.1% of patients starting treatment on time. 82.7% left the ED within four hours.
- Casino & District Memorial Hospital: ED attendance reached 3,532, with 66.3% starting treatment on time and 83.1% leaving within four hours.
- Grafton Base Hospital: ED attendances were 7,197, with 56.6% starting treatment on time and 67.8% leaving within four hours.
- Lismore Base Hospital: ED attendances totalled 10,103, with 52% starting treatment on time and 46.4% leaving the ED within four hours.
- Maclean District Hospital: ED attendances increased by 9.1% with 81.2% starting treatment on time and 85.3% leaving within four hours.
- Murwillumbah District Hospital: ED attendance was 5,042, with 85% starting treatment on time and 86.6% leaving within four hours.
- Tweed Hospital/Tweed Valley Hospital: ED attendances increased by 11.4%, with 74.7% of patients starting treatment on time and 68.1% leaving the ED within four hours.
Community Reminder
NNSWLHD reminds the public to reserve emergency services for life-threatening situations and consider alternative care options, such as medical centres or HealthDirect (1800 022 222) for minor health concerns.
