Waiting lists improve amid rising ED activity in Northern NSW hospitals

NORTHERN NSW hospitals are performing well above the state average, with surgery waiting lists steadily improving despite sustained emergency department activity.

Local hospitals experienced increased ambulance arrivals, ED presentations and emergency episodes of care, with planned surgeries continuing to improve during the year’s second quarter.

According to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare report, the majority (81 per cent) of the 3809 planned procedures were performed on time, reflecting an improvement of 4.6 per cent compared with the same time in 2023.

The 145 patients waiting longer than clinically recommended showed a reduction of 81.7 per cent, or 648 patients fewer, the lowest since December 2019.

From April to June 2024, more than seven in 10 patients (70.1 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is better than the NSW average of 63.7 per cent.

Of patients transferred from ambulance paramedics to an ED clinician, 75 per cent occurred within the 30-minute benchmark time, which is also above the NSW average of 73.7 per cent.

Most patients (70.4 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving – significantly better than the NSW average of 54.7 per cent.

Byron Central, Lismore Base, Tweed Valley, and Ballina and Murwillumbah district hospitals all showed increases in activity and performance.

Northern NSW Local Health District chief executive Tracey Maisey said the region had 56,496 emergency attendances in the quarter, an increase of 3.4 per cent (1867) when compared with last year.

“We also saw a 6.4 per cent increase in arrivals by ambulance and an increase of 4.9 per cent in total episodes of care,” Ms Maisey said.

“Our staff do an amazing job of caring for our patients with compassion and kindness.

“I want to acknowledge and thank them for their hard work.”