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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:

BHI Quarterly Report - Emergency activity back to pre-pandemic Levels
Published: 17 Jun 2021

Hospitals in Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) performed better than the state average despite once again recording a high number of emergency department (ED) attendances in the latest Bureau of Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly report.

The District’s ED attendances returned to pre-pandemic levels during January to March 2021, with an increase of 814, or 1.5 per cent, to 55,303 attendances compared with the same quarter in 2020.

This is NNSWLHD’s second highest number of ED attendances for any quarter on record.

Increases in presentations were seen in both the triage category 1 (resuscitation), with 11.1 per cent more presentations (up by 26 to 260) compared with the same quarter in 2020.

In the triage category 2 (emergency), there were 12.1 per cent more presentations (up 634 to 5865) across the District.

Despite the increased pressure on the EDs, 74.6 per cent of patients left the ED within four hours, which is above the NSW average of 67.6 per cent. The median wait time
to start treatment for triage category 2 (emergency) patients was eight minutes, two minutes below the NSW target of 10 minutes.

NNSWLHD Chief Executive Wayne Jones said trends in hospital activity and performance echoed the experience around the state.
“The efforts of our workforce over the last 15 months has been outstanding despite increased patient presentations, and additional challenges and changes as a result of
COVID. It has not been easy but our workforce has risen to the challenge.”
In the January to March 2021 quarter, 3,499 elective surgeries were performed, an increase of 2 per cent (or 70 more procedures) compared with the same quarter in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost all (99.2 per cent) of the 757 urgent elective surgeries were performed on time.

“We’re focused on reducing our elective surgery wait list which was impacted by National Cabinet’s temporary pause on non-urgent surgeries in March last year. Our
elective surgery activity is now back up to where it was pre-pandemic thanks to the outstanding efforts of our staff.

“We’re looking at alternative models to improve the flow of surgical activity around the District, including accommodating our post-operative patient recovery at smaller sites
such as Casino and Ballina to free up capacity in Lismore.

“We are also working closely with private hospitals in the region to provide additional surgical capacity for local patients.”

Since March 2020, the NSW Government has committed more than $3 billion to increase the capacity of the health system, including $458.5 million to fast-track elective surgeries. This boost in funding has helped bring the 2020-21 Health budget to a record $29.3 billion.

The 2020-21 budget for Northern NSW Local Health District was more than $926 million – an increase of almost $39 million, on the 2019-20 budget.

Between mid-2012 and mid-2020, the Northern NSW Local Health District increased its workforce by an additional 1008 full time equivalent staff – an increase of 26.7 percent – including 171 more doctors, 367 more nurses and midwives, and 121 more allied health staff.

INDIVIDUAL HOSPITALS

Ballina District Hospital ED had 4,965 ED attendances, an increase of 4.3 per cent (or 204 more people) during January to March 2021. More than three quarters (78.1 per cent) of patients left the ED within four hours. The median wait time for treatment in the triage category 2 (emergency) was on target at 10 minutes. Non-urgent presentations increased by 25.9 per cent (or 76) to 369 for the quarter. A total of 269 elective surgeries were performed, an increase of 35.9 per cent on the same quarter in 2020. All (100 per cent) urgent surgeries were performed on time.

Byron Central Hospital ED had 5,953 ED attendances, an increase of 3.7 per cent (or 213 attendances) compared with the same quarter in 2020. The largest increase was seen in triage category 2 (emergency) with 19.6 per cent (or 84) more presentations. More than three quarters (77.3 per cent) of patients started treatment on time, with a median wait time to treatment for triage category 2 (emergency) of nine minutes, below the NSW target of 10 minutes.

Casino and District Memorial Hospital ED had a 4.1 per cent decrease in ED attendances, down 138 people to 3,269. A majority (89.5 per cent) of patients left the ED within four hours. The median wait time to treatment for triage category 2 (emergency) was on target at 10 minutes. The hospital reported 198 elective surgeries were performed, up 13.8 per cent (or 24 more procedures) on the same quarter in 2020. All (100 per cent) urgent elective surgeries were performed on time.

Grafton Base Hospital ED had 6,943 attendances, up 4.6 per cent (or 308 attendances) on the same quarter in 2020. The median wait time to treatment in triage category 2 (emergency) was eight minutes. The hospital reported 436 elective surgeries were performed, a reduction of 79 procedures, with 97 per cent of urgent surgeries performed on time.

Lismore Base Hospital ED had 10,582 attendances during the January to March 2021 quarter, up 4.4 per cent (or 443 more attendances) on the same quarter in 2020. This is the highest number of ED attendances on record for the hospital. Triage category 1 (resuscitation) presentations increased 38.6 per cent, up 17 presentations to 61 for the quarter, while triage category 2 (emergency) presentations increased by 24.4 per cent, up 255 to a total of 1301 presentations. The median wait time to treatment in triage category 2 (emergency) was seven minutes. The hospital reported 1160 elective surgeries were performed, down 8.6 per cent, or 109 procedures, on the same quarter in 2020. Nearly all (99.2 per cent) of 363 urgent surgeries were performed on time.

Maclean District Hospital ED had a 2.1 per cent increase in attendances, up by 72 to a total of 3,458. Around 72.8 per cent of patients started treatment on time, up 7.5 percentage points on the same quarter in 2020. There was a median wait time to treatment in triage category 2 (emergency) of seven minutes, an improvement of 4 minutes compared to the same quarter last year.

Murwillumbah District Hospital had a 2.7 per cent increase in ED attendances, up by 121, to a total of 4,529. A majority (87.3 per cent) of patients started treatment on time, up 3.9 percentage points on the same quarter in 2020. There was a median wait time to treatment in triage category 2 (emergency) of seven minutes. There were 451 elective surgeries performed, up 40.1 per cent (or 129 procedures), and 100 per cent of urgent and semi-urgent surgeries were performed on time.

The Tweed Hospital had 13,279 ED attendances in the January to March quarter, a decrease of 2.6 per cent (or 352) compared with the same quarter in 2020. Around 72.3 per cent of patients started their treatment on time, with a median wait time to treatment for triage category 2 (emergency) of nine minutes, below the NSW target of 10 minutes. There were 985 elective surgeries performed, up 4.6 per cent (or 43 more procedures), on the same quarter in 2020, with 97.2 per cent of all surgeries performed on time. All (100 per cent) urgent elective surgeries were performed on time.