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EMERGENCY

In an emergency, always call triple zero (000) for an ambulance. Ambulances are the safest way to be assessed, treated and transported to the right hospital for the care you need.

Triple zero (000) is a free call from any phone, mobile or phone box.

For less severe but still urgent situations, go to an Emergency Department.

There are 12 public hospital Emergency Departments in Northern NSW Local Health District and they are all available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Emergency departments are located at:

Northern NSW hospitals continue to perform in busy winter period
Published: 07 Dec 2022

Patients in Northern NSW continued to receive high quality care throughout the busy winter period, amid sustained high demand for emergency care. 

The latest quarterly BHI figures reveal of the 53,078 people attended NNSWLHD hospital Emergency Departments

The latest Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly report (July – September 2022) captures a challenging period for Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD), as winter illnesses and ongoing furloughing of staff continued to place pressure on the health system.

Across the District, there were 53,078 emergency department attendances during the quarter, 24,874 of all those coming in for treatment were for non-critical conditions.

The report also showed more than seven in 10 patients (71.4 per cent) starting treatment on time, which is better than the NSW state average of 65.6 per cent. 

More than eight in 10 patients (81.5 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, also significantly better than the state average (74.8 per cent).

The majority of patients (71.9 per cent) left the ED within four hours, also better than the NSW average (57.4 per cent).

NNSWLHD Chief Executive Wayne Jones praised the work of health staff who continued to deliver compassionate and high-quality patient care across the region.

“All throughout this year, we have seen our colleagues rally to support each other and their patients through the challenges of the pandemic and natural disasters, both within our hospital walls and in the community,” Mr Jones said.

“I take this opportunity to thank our amazing staff who deliver the best care to our patients every day.” 

A total of 3,804 elective surgeries were performed across the region, almost back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Thanks to ongoing partnerships with private hospitals and additional surgical theatre lists in our hospitals, we are seeing the numbers of patients on waiting lists continue to trend downwards over the previous six months,” Mr Jones said.

Any patients who feel their condition has deteriorated while waiting for their procedure are encouraged to contact their treating doctor for a clinical review and they can be placed in a higher urgency category if required.

Between mid-2012 and mid-2022 NNSWLHD increased its workforce by an additional 1,127 full time equivalent staff - an increase of 29.9 per cent including 223 more doctors, 374 more nurses and midwives, and 132 more allied health staff.

The 2022-23 budget for Northern NSW Local Health District is over $985 million, an increase of more than $40 million, or 4.3 per cent more, on the previous year’s budget.

The NSW Government is investing a record $33 billion in health as part of the 2022-23 NSW Budget, including almost $900 million for the ongoing COVID-19 response.

The NSW Government also announced the largest workforce boost in the nation’s history in the 2022-23 Budget with a $4.5 billion investment over four years for 10,148 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff to hospitals and health services across NSW.

In addition, the NSW Government is also incentivising hard-to-fill, critical roles in hospitals and health facilities with an $883 million investment targeted at recruiting and retaining staff in regional, rural and remote areas. 

 

INDIVIDUAL HOSPITAL RESULTS

BALLINA DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,406 ED attendances during the quarter. The majority of patients (67 per cent) started their treatment on time. More than seven in 10 patients (77.6 per cent) left the ED within four hours. More than eight in 10 patients (83.8 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.

BYRON CENTRAL HOSPITAL had 5,132 ED attendances and nearly all patients (92 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is far better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (76.6 percent). Nearly all patients (94 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (92.4 per cent). Almost eight in 10 patients (79.4 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving, also above the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (78.7 per cent).

CASINO & DISTRICT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL had 3,363 ED attendances in the quarter. The vast majority of patients (82.6 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (78.7 per cent). Almost all patients (96.7 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, also better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (92.4 per cent).

GRAFTON BASE HOSPITAL had 6,803 ED attendances during this quarter. The majority of patients (67 per cent) started treatment on time. Seven in 10 patients (71.6 per cent) left the ED within four hours, above the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (60.9 per cent). More than eight in 10 patients (87.7 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, which is also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (82.1 per cent).

LISMORE BASE HOSPITAL had 9,563 ED attendances during the quarter. The majority of patients (59.9 percent) started treatment on time, and more than half of all patients (53.7 percent) left the ED within four hours, in line with the NSW average for hospitals of a similar size (53 per cent). More than 8 in 10 patients (81.1 percent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (72.9 per cent).

MACLEAN DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 3,922 ED attendances during the quarter. More than eight in 10 patients (81.8 per cent) started their treatment on time, above the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (76.6 percent). Almost nine in 10 patients (87.4 per cent) left the ED within four hours, which is also better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (78.7 per cent). Nearly all patients (91.5 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, which is in line with the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (92.4 per cent).

MURWILLUMBAH DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,459 ED attendances during the quarter. The majority of patients (78 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is above the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (66.3 per cent). More than eight in 10 patients (82.4 per cent) left the ED within four hours, significantly better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (60.9 per cent). Almost all patients (92.4 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, which is also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (82.1 per cent).

THE TWEED HOSPITAL had 13,306 ED attendances during the quarter. More than seven in 10 patients (71.5 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is above the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (62.8 per cent). Almost seven in 10 patients (66.9 per cent) left the ED within four hours, which is better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (53 per cent). More than seven in 10 patients (71.1 percent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, which is in line with the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (72.9 per cent).