MLHD Chief Executive Ms Jill Ludford thanked staff for their hard work throughout the period, with excellent results in several emergency department (ED) key performance indicators, and a significant reduction in the number of patients waiting longer than clinically recommended for planned surgery.
The District’s hospitals continue to optimise available theatre time for planned surgery, with 1,960 planned surgeries performed in MLHD hospitals from April to June 2024. More than eight in ten (84.3 per cent) planned surgeries have been performed on time, an increase of 16.6 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2023. All urgent planned surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time.
Ms Ludford said the District continues to work hard to ensure patients receive their planned surgery as soon as possible.
“In 12 months, our teams have reduced the number of patients waiting longer than clinically recommended for a planned surgery by more than 95 per cent, from 592 patients at the end of June 2023 to 18 at the end of June 2024,” Ms Ludford said.
Wait times for semi-urgent and non-urgent surgeries have also reduced significantly. From April to June 2024, 86.1 per cent of semi-urgent surgeries were performed on time – an improvement of 16 percentage points compared with the same quarter last year (70.1 percent).
More than seven in 10 non-urgent planned surgeries (75.5 percent) were performed on time – also an improvement of 24 percentage points compared with the same quarter last year (51.5 per cent).
The time to surgery for each patient is individually determined based on a clinical assessment of their condition by their specialist, who then gives the patient an urgency category.
Patients who feel their condition may have deteriorated while waiting for their surgery are encouraged to contact their treating doctor who can review their condition and place them in a higher urgency category if appropriate.
MLHD’s emergency departments continued to provide care within timeframes well above the state average, despite high levels of activity.
During the second quarter of 2024 there were 40,866 attendances to MLHD emergency departments, an increase of 2.4 per cent, or 967 more attendances, compared with the same quarter in 2023. Triage one (resuscitation) patients presenting increased by 10.5 per cent when compared to the same quarter in 2023.
Despite this high demand, the vast majority of patients (81.3 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is the second-best result in the state.
More than seven in 10 patients (72.7 per cent) were able to leave the ED within four hours of arriving, also better than the state average (54.7 per cent), and one of the best results in the state.
Almost nine in 10 patients (82.8 per cent) were transferred from paramedics to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time – also significantly better than the state average (73.7 per cent).
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 can experience longer wait times when there are large numbers of seriously unwell patients being prioritised for emergency care.
MLHD continues to remind the community 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 a 24-hour telephone health advice.
“These results are a testament to the hard work of our highly skilled workforce, and I commend our teams for the dedication they continue to show to the patients in our care,” said Ms Ludford.
INDIVIDUAL HOSPITALS
Wagga Wagga Base Hospital
There were 12,114 emergency department attendances at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital in the April to June 2024 quarter, an increase of 1.7 per cent or 200 attendances, in the same period in 2023.
More than two-thirds of patients (68.3 per cent) started treatment on time – better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (57.3 per cent).
More than seven in 10 patients (73.5 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time, which is also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (69.8 per cent).
During the April to June 2024 quarter 1,533 planned surgery procedures were performed, with all urgent planned surgeries (100 per cent) performed on time. More than eight in 10 planned surgeries (80.9%) were performed on time overall, an improvement of 20.6 per cent compared with the same quarter in 2023 (60.3 per cent).
There were 335 babies born at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital during the quarter.
Griffith Base Hospital
There were 5,991 emergency department attendances at Griffith Base Hospital in the April to June 2024 quarter.
Almost all patients arriving by ambulance were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time (93.8 per cent), better than the average result for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (86.8 per cent).
Almost eight in 10 patients (76.3 per cent) started treatment on time, also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (69.3 per cent).
The majority of patients (74.7 per cent) were able to leave the ED within four hours, also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (60.5 per cent).
During the April to June 2024 quarter at Griffith Base Hospital there were 245 planned surgeries performed, with all planned surgeries (100 per cent) performed on time, an increase of 4.1 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2023.
Throughout the quarter, 117 babies were born at Griffith Base Hospital.
Deniliquin Health Service
There were 2,693 emergency department attendances at Deniliquin Hospital in the April to June 2024 quarter, down 3.1 per cent or 80 attendances compared to the same period last year.
Almost all patients (95.5 per cent) started treatment on time, which is the best result for hospitals of a similar size in NSW, and significantly better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (77.3 per cent).
More than eight in 10 patients (83.2 per cent) were able to leave the ED within four hours of arriving – also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (76.7 per cent).
Almost all patients (97.0 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time, also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (93 per cent).
During the April to June 2024 quarter at Deniliquin Health Service there were 48 planned surgeries performed, an increase of 41.2 per cent (14 surgeries) and almost all (95.8 per cent) were performed on time. All urgent planned surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time.
Throughout the quarter at Deniliquin Health Service 14 babies were born.
Young Health Service
There were 2,539 emergency department attendances at Young Hospital in the April to June 2024 quarter, an increase of 7.4 per cent, or 176 more attendances, compared with the same quarter in 2023.
More than eight in 10 patients (85.2 per cent) were able to leave the ED within four hours of arriving, which is one of the best results for hospitals of a similar size in NSW.
Almost eight in 10 (79.7 per cent) started treatment on time, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (77.3 per cent).
During the April to June 2024 quarter, Young Health Service completed 63 planned surgeries and more than eight in ten (80.3 per cent) were performed on time.
Throughout the quarter at Young Health Service 26 babies were born.
