ED and surgical activity remains high as acuity levels rise across Northern NSW hospitals

EMERGENCY departments and surgical theatres across Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) continued to operate at high levels of activity during the January to March 2026 quarter, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly Report.

The report shows 58,014 patients attended emergency departments across the district during the period, an increase of 2.4 per cent compared with the same quarter in 2025.

Three quarters of patients (75.4 per cent) started treatment on time, an improvement of 2.4 percentage points compared with the same quarter the previous year.

Ambulance arrivals also increased, with 10,694 patients transported to NNSWLHD hospitals during the quarter, a rise of 12.3 per cent or 1,169 additional arrivals.

The proportion of patients transferred from paramedics to emergency department staff within the 30 minute benchmark remained steady at 81.5 per cent.

Tweed Valley Hospital was the busiest facility in the district, recording 14,863 emergency department attendances, an increase of 0.9 per cent or 129 presentations compared with the same quarter last year.

A key trend across the district was the continued rise in patient acuity levels, with resuscitation cases increasing by 28.5 per cent, presentations requiring emergency treatment rising by 12.8 per cent to 7,579, and urgent presentations increasing by 7.7 per cent to 21,463, while lower-acuity presentations declined.

This coincides with increased use of alternative care pathways outside hospital, including Healthdirect and expanded virtual care services across NSW.

NNSWLHD Director of Clinical Operations Lynne Weir said staff were managing sustained demand.

“Activity across our hospitals in Northern NSW continues to rise and our staff are working hard to care for patients in a caring, timely, and efficient manner, as reflected in the latest quarterly results,” Weir said.

“This high activity comes as the level of acuity and complexity of patients attending our hospitals continues to rise.”

“I’d like to thank everyone for their continuing commitment to providing outstanding care for our community.”

“We are continuing to invest in strategies to encourage people with less urgent care needs to seek treatment at one of the region’s primary health facilities such as the Tweed or Lismore Urgent Care Clinics, or by calling Healthdirect, where you can get connected to the right care, 24/7.”

The district also reported continued rollout of Safe Staffing Levels in emergency departments.

Lismore Base Hospital and Tweed Valley Hospital are now rostering to Safe Staffing Levels in their emergency departments, while Ballina District Hospital and Grafton Base Hospital are in the process of implementing the model.

The staffing boost allows for a one-to-one nursing care ratio for occupied ED resuscitation beds on all shifts, and one nurse to three generally occupied ED treatment spaces and short-stay unit beds on all shifts.

Health officials said all ED patients are triaged on arrival, with the most urgent cases prioritised, though those with less serious conditions may experience longer waits during peak demand periods.

On the surgery front, NNSWLHD reported 3,499 planned procedures completed during the quarter, an increase of 2.7 per cent or 93 surgeries compared with the same period in 2025.

This contributed to a 7.2 per cent reduction in the number of patients waiting for surgery at quarter’s end, down by 393 patients year-on-year.

The majority (78.7 per cent) of planned surgeries were performed on time across the district, while almost all urgent surgeries (99.4 per cent) were completed on time, and the number of non-urgent surgeries performed on time also improved.

NNSWLHD authorities are encouraging patients who feel their condition may have deteriorated while waiting for their surgery to contact their treating doctor who can review their condition and place them in a higher urgency category if appropriate.

If an illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening, people are encouraged to call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 and speak to a registered nurse for 24-hour telephone health advice.

More information on the report is available at www.bhi.nsw.gov.au/data-portal