Southern NSW hospitals get the green tick in quarterly health performance report

Chief Executive Margaret Bennett said the latest Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly report for October to December 2025 shows SNSWLHD hospitals consistently provide timely, high-quality care.

“Our staff ensure patients are seen quickly and cared for safely. Despite increases in ED presentations we continue to treat and discharge patients safely and within benchmarks,” Ms Bennett said.

“Our community can rely on our hospitals to deliver high quality, timely care,” 

There were 31,664 attendances during the October to December 2025 quarter, an increase of 777 attendances or 2.5 per cent.

Compared to the same quarter in 2024, the most substantial increases in demand was for patients who were seriously unwell and required immediate or urgent treatment. There was a sharp increase of 30 patients (or 35.3 per cent) who presented with immediately life threatening conditions (resuscitation: triage category 1) and 17.2 per cent (or 686 patients) who presented with an imminently life threatening condition (emergency: triage category 2).

Even with this growth in demand among the sickest patients, 74.9 per cent of patients started their treatment on time, compared to the NSW result of 66.3 per cent. The majority of patients (76.9 per cent) were treated and discharged from an ED within four hours of arriving, was also higher than the NSW average (64.6 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 will experience longer wait times.

“This latest report shows our District was among the state’s top three performers for key ED indicators including the percentage of patients starting their treatment on time and transfer of care despite an increase in presentations,” Ms Bennett said. 

The vast majority of patients who arrived by ambulance, were transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time (93.9 per cent), above the NSW average (80.9 per cent) and the second highest result in the state.

The District performed 1,287 planned surgeries in the October to December 2025 period, which is equal to the same period in 2024.  

SNSWLHD was in the top four local health districts in the state for the percentage of planned surgeries performed on time, with the vast majority of patients, or 91.5 per cent, receiving their planned surgery on time. 

All urgent planned surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time, and the majority of semi-urgent planned surgeries (93.7 per cent), and non-urgent surgeries (86.9 per cent) were performed on time.

“This metric indicates most patients who receive planned surgery at one of our hospitals are doing so within clinically recommended timeframes and are receiving the best care from our dedicated staff,” Ms Bennett said.

Moruya District, Goulburn Base, Queanbeyan and South East Regional hospital emergency departments are in the process of implementing Safe Staffing Levels in their Emergency Departments.

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

If an illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening, we encourage people to call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for free instant health advice anytime, anywhere. You’ll speak to a registered nurse who will help you get the care you need.

INDIVIDUAL HOSPITAL RESULTS

At Batemans Bay District Hospital there were 2,839 ED attendances during the October to December 2025 quarter, 5.9 per cent fewer than the same period in 2024. The majority of patients (77.6 per cent) started treatment on time. Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark (97.4 per cent) which is above the result for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (92.5 per cent). Nearly eight in 10 patients treated and discharged from the ED were discharged within four hours of arriving (77.7 per cent). Batemans Bay District Hospital performed 88 planned surgeries during the quarter. 

At Moruya District Hospital there were 3,498 ED attendances during the October to December 2025 quarter. More than seven in 10 patients (70.7 per cent) started their treatment on time, similar to hospitals of a similar size in NSW (72.7 per cent). Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred to the ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark (96.5 per cent) which is above the result for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (90.2 per cent). Moruya District Hospital performed 184 planned surgeries during the quarter, with all (100 per cent) surgeries across all triage categories performed on time.

At Goulburn Base Hospital there were 6,404 ED attendances during the October to December 2025 quarter, representing a 10 per cent increase (or 581 attendances) compared to the same period in 2024. Despite increased demand, almost seven in 10 patients (68.3 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is a 2.9 percentage point improvement on the same period in 2024. Almost nine in 10 patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time (88.5 per cent). During the October to December 2025 quarter, 383 planned surgeries were performed, and almost all surgeries (99.2 per cent) were performed on time. All (100 per cent) urgent and semi-urgent surgeries were performed on time. 

At Cooma Hospital there were 2,931 ED attendances during the quarter, an increase of 7.1 per cent compared to the same time last year. More than nine in 10 patients (93 per cent) started treatment on time, well above the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (78.4 per cent). Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark (99.5 per cent), also better than the result for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (92.5 per cent). The majority of patients treated and discharged from the ED were discharged within four hours (89.5 per cent), above the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (82.2 per cent). There were 43 planned surgeries performed during the October to December 2025 quarter, and all surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time.

At Queanbeyan Hospital there were 6,864 ED attendances during the October to December 2025 quarter. Eight in 10 patients (80.4 per cent) started treatment on time, better than the result for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (72.7 per cent). More than eight in 10 patients treated and discharged from the ED were discharged within four hours of arriving (83.5 per cent), higher than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (69.8 per cent). Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark (98.2 per cent), also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (90.2 per cent). There were 174 planned surgeries performed during the October to December 2025 quarter, and all surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time.

At South East Regional Hospital (SERH) there were 6,106 ED attendances during the October to December 2025 quarter. Nearly seven in 10 patients treated and discharged from the ED were discharged within four hours of arriving (69.5 per cent) similar to the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (69.8 per cent). The vast majority of patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark (90.8 per cent), similar to the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (90.2 per cent). There were 415 planned surgeries performed during the quarter, with the vast majority of these (93.5 per cent) performed on time. All (100 per cent) urgent surgeries were performed on time.