SNSWLHD Chief Executive Margaret Bennett praised the efforts of staff in providing high quality care to patients during the early winter period.
“This latest Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly for April to June 2024 shows our District was among the state’s top performers for key ED indicators including the time to start treatment, the percentage of patients leaving the EDs within four hours, the time to transfer of care from ambulance to hospital staff and elective surgery wait times,” Ms Bennett said.
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to our dedicated staff members - these impressive results are a testament to their hard work.”
From April to June 2024, there were 29,432 attendances to EDs across SNSWLHD, which is a 1.4 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
Despite the high demand, almost eight in 10 patients (78.5 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is better than the NSW average (63.7 per cent). The majority of patients (72.3 percent) also left the ED within four hours of arriving, also better than the NSW average (54.7 per cent).
Of the almost 30,000 presentations, there were 3,803 attendances by patients with an imminently life-threatening condition (triage category 2), an increase of 20.3 per cent when compared to the same quarter in 2023. There were also 10,242 patients presenting with potentially life threatening conditions (urgent or triage category 3), a 10.7 per cent when compared with the same quarter in 2023.
Almost all patients (94.3 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time, which is significantly better than the NSW average (73.7 per cent) and the best result in the state.
The District also performed 1,383 planned surgeries during the second quarter of 2024. Southern NSW LHD also had one of the best results in the state for the percentage of planned surgeries performed on time, with 100 per cent of patients receiving their planned surgery on time.
“All planned surgery in Southern was performed on time during the reporting period, a remarkable effort by staff and a great outcome for our patients,” Ms Bennett said.
“Our staff have implemented a range of improvement strategies over the past 12-18 months to achieve these impressive results,” Ms Bennett said.
“Strategies include daily huddles across all facilities, ongoing ED education programs to strengthen nursing triage protocols, regular reviews of clerical processes and systems, as well as management of discharges and delays.
“The most important outcome of this work is that patients in Southern NSW are given the very best care, as quickly as possible."
All patients are seen and triaged on arrival at the ED and, as always, the most seriously unwell patients are treated first. During busy times, people with less urgent conditions will experience longer wait times when there are large numbers of seriously unwell patients being prioritised for emergency care.
SNSWLHD continues to remind everyone to support us by saving emergency departments and ambulances for saving lives. If an illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening, we encourage people to call Healthdirect Australia on 1800 022 222, for 24-hour telephone health advice.
Individual Hospital Results
At Batemans Bay District Hospital there were 2,947 ED attendances between April to June 2024. The majority of patients (83.2 per cent) started treatment on time, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (77.3 per cent). Almost all patients (96.7 per cent) were transferred from paramedics to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. Batemans Bay District Hospital performed 153 planned surgery procedures during the quarter. All planned surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time.
At Moruya District Hospital there were 3,156 ED attendances during the April to June 2024 quarter. More than eight in 10 patients (80.6 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (77.3 per cent). Almost all patients (97.8 per cent) were transferred from paramedics to the ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. Moruya District Hospital performed 176 planned surgeries during the quarter and all (100 per cent) were performed on time.
At Goulburn Base Hospital there were 5,771 ED attendances during the quarter. Almost nine in 10 patients (88.1 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time, which is in line with the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (86.8 per cent). During the April to June 2024 quarter, 451 planned surgeries were performed and all (100 per cent) were performed on time.
At Cooma Hospital there were 2,704 ED attendances during the quarter. Almost nine in 10 patients (88.7 per cent) started treatment on time, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (77.3 per cent). Almost all patients (99.5 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 (93 per cent). The majority of patients (81.2 per cent) left the ED within four hours, which is slightly better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (76.7 per cent). There were 61 planned surgery procedures performed during the April to June 2024 quarter and all (100 per cent) were performed on time.
At Queanbeyan Hospital there were 6,874 ED attendances during the April to June 2024 quarter. More than eight in 10 patients (81.9 per cent) started treatment on time, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (77.3 per cent). More than eight in 10 patients (83 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving – also better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (76.7 per cent). Almost all patients (98.4 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 (93 per cent). The hospital performed 187 planned surgery procedures during the quarter, with all (100 per cent) performed on time.
At South East Regional Hospital (SERH) there were 5,529 ED attendances during the April to June 2024 quarter. More than nine in 10 patients (92 per cent) 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 (86.8 per cent). The majority of patients (73.5 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is slightly better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (69.3 per cent). There were 355 planned surgeries performed during the quarter, with all urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent procedures (100 per cent) performed on time.
Read the report
