Southern NSW Local Health District a top performer in latest healthcare quarterly report

SNSWLHD Chief Executive Margaret Bennett praised the efforts of staff in providing high quality care to patients during this period.

“This latest Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly report for January to March 2025 shows our District was among the state’s top performers for key ED indicators including the percentage of patients starting their treatment on time,” Ms Bennett said.

“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to our dedicated staff, as these impressive results are a testament to their hard work.”

The District performed 1,211 planned surgeries during the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 16 surgeries, or 1.3 per cent, compared to the same quarter in 2024.

Southern NSW Local Health District had one of the best results in the state for the percentage of planned surgeries performed on time, with almost all patients, or 99.4 per cent, receiving their planned surgery on time. This includes all (100 per cent) of urgent planned surgeries, 98.7 per cent of semi-urgent planned surgeries, and 99.7 per cent of non-urgent surgeries performed on time.

In January to March 2025, there were 30,293 attendances to EDs across the district.

There were 3,999 patients who presented with an imminently life-threatening condition (emergency or triage category 2), which is 35 presentations fewer, when compared to the same quarter in 2024.

There were also 10,681 presentations with potentially life-threatening conditions (urgent or triage category 3), an increase of 146 presentations, or 1.4 per cent when compared with the same quarter in 2024.

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.

“We are grateful for the patience people show during these situations,” Ms Bennett said.

Despite the high demand, more than seven in 10 patients (75.9 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is significantly better than the NSW average (67.0 per cent).

NSW Health has worked with the Australian College of Emergency Medicine to introduce new Hospital Access Targets for local health districts and specialty health networks relating to the time from arrival to leaving the ED.  These new targets are designed to support safe patient care and reflect the complexity of patient needs and the diverse pathways patients may take once they present to an ED.

This is the first BHI Healthcare Quarterly report to reflect the new targets. Due to the change in reporting, the results for the new Hospital Access Targets cannot be compared to the previous January – March 2024 quarter.

Of those patients treated in the ED who did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, the majority (78.9 per cent) were discharged from the ED within four hours of arriving, which is higher than the NSW average (66.7 per cent).

Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance (94.6 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time, which is well above the NSW average (83.0 per cent).

“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."

Southern NSW Local Health District continues to remind the community that free health advice is available 24/7 by calling Healthdirect on 1800 022 222. A nurse will answer your call, ask some questions and connect you with the right care.

INDIVIDUAL HOSPITAL RESULTS

At Batemans Bay District Hospital there were 3,001 ED attendances between January to March 2025. The majority of patients (78.8 per cent) started treatment on time, which is in line with the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (79 per cent). Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance (97.4 per cent) were transferred from paramedics to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. Batemans Bay District Hospital performed 67 planned surgery procedures during the quarter. Almost all planned surgeries (92.5 per cent) were performed on time.

At Moruya District Hospital there were 3,251 ED attendances during the January to March 2025 quarter. Almost seven in 10 patients (68.5 per cent) started their treatment on time. Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance (96 per cent) were transferred from paramedics to the ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. Moruya District Hospital performed 172 planned surgeries during the quarter, and all (100 per cent) were performed on time.

At Goulburn Base Hospital there were 5,902 ED attendances during the quarter. Almost nine in 10 patients who arrived by ambulance (89.3 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 (91.4 per cent). During the January to March 2025 quarter, 364 planned surgeries were performed, and almost all (99.4 per cent) were performed on time.

At Cooma Hospital there were 2,753 ED attendances during the quarter. More than nine in 10 patients (92.8 per cent) started treatment on time, which is well above the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (79 per cent). Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance (98.6 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 (95.6 per cent). Of those patients who were treated in the ED and did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, the majority (87.3 per cent) were discharged from the ED within four hours, which is better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (83.3 per cent). There were 63 planned surgeries performed during the January to March 2025 quarter and all (100 per cent) were performed on time.

At Queanbeyan Hospital there were 6,605 ED attendances during the January to March 2025 quarter. More than eight in 10 patients (80.7 per cent) started treatment on time, which is in line with the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (79 per cent). Of those patients who were treated in the ED and did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, more than eight in 10 patients (86.2 per cent) were discharged from the ED within four hours of arriving, which is better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (83.3 per cent). Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance (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 (95.6 per cent). There were 177 planned surgery procedures performed during the January to March 2025 quarter, an increase of 12 surgeries or 7.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2024, and all (100 per cent) were performed on time.

At South East Regional Hospital (SERH) there were 6,047 ED attendances during the January to March 2025 quarter. Almost seven in 10 patients (68.6 per cent) started their treatment on time. Almost all patients who arrived by ambulance (93.2 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, which is slightly better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (91.4 per cent). There were 368 planned surgeries performed during the quarter, with all procedures (100 per cent) performed on time.