Bureau of Health Information performance measures show improvements, including the number of planned surgeries, across the District.
Hospitals improve performance through another busy quarter
Mar 13, 2024Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) public hospitals improved in several key planned surgery and emergency department (ED) performance measures despite increasingly high demand for services, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly report, October to December 2023.
There were 38,046 attendances at our District’s EDs throughout the final quarter of 2023, an increase of 5.7 per cent, or 2,041 more attendances, compared with the same quarter in 2022.
MNCLHD Chief Executive Stewart Dowrick thanked staff for their commitment and dedication to delivering high-quality care to patients throughout the busy October to December 2023 period.
“The report shows our District has improved across a range of key performance measures compared to the same quarter in 2022, including time to start treatment in ED and the number of planned surgeries performed on time,” Mr Dowrick said.
“The results are a testament to the efforts of our healthcare workers who continue to deliver care to patients who are sicker and need more complex care than the same period in 2022.”
More than seven in 10 patients (73.3 per cent) started their treatment on time and more than eight in 10 patients (87.8 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to emergency department staff within the 30-minute benchmark, with both results higher than the state average.
“We thank the community for its patience during this busy time and want to reassure people that during periods of high demand, all patients are seen and triaged on arrival with the most seriously unwell patients treated first,” Mr Dowrick said.
MNCLHD reminds the community to keep 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.
The District continues to work incredibly hard to ensure patients requiring planned surgery receive their procedures as soon as possible.
There were 3,001 elective surgeries performed in the October to December 2023 quarter, an increase of 11.1 per cent or 299 more surgeries than the same period in 2022. More than eight in 10 patients (82.3 per cent) had their semi-urgent planned surgery performed on time, a 15.5 percentage point improvement compared with the same quarter in 2022.
“It’s fantastic to see an increase in the number of patients receiving their surgery in a timely manner, with almost all urgent planned surgeries (99.8 per cent) performed on time,” Mr Dowrick said.
Patients who feel their condition has deteriorated while waiting for their procedure are encouraged to contact their treating doctor for a clinical review and they can be placed in a higher urgency category if required.
INDIVIDUAL HOSPITAL RESULTS
Coffs Harbour Health Campus
Coffs Harbour Health Campus ED saw 12,279 attendances in the final quarter of 2023, almost 10 per cent more attendances (9.6 per cent) compared with the same quarter in 2022.
More than eight in 10 patients (84.1 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 (77.4 per cent).
The hospital performed 1,180 planned surgeries, with all urgent elective surgery (100 per cent) performed on time.
Kempsey District Hospital
At Kempsey District Hospital, there were 7,145 ED attendances from October to December 2023.
Most patients (80.8 per cent) started treatment on time, which is in line with the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (79.6 per cent).
Nearly all patients (95.8 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.
The hospital performed 381 planned surgeries in this quarter, with 96.1 per cent of all planned surgeries performed on time, a seven-percentage point improvement compared with the same period in 2022. All urgent planned surgery (100 per cent) was performed on time.
Macksville District Hospital
At Macksville District Hospital there were 3,722 ED attendances in the final quarter of 2023.
Almost nine in 10 patients (89.6 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is significantly better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (79.6 per cent).
Nearly all patients (95.5 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.
There were 233 planned surgeries performed at the hospital this quarter, with most planned surgeries (88 per cent) performed on time.
Port Macquarie Base Hospital
Port Macquarie Base Hospital had 12,939 ED attendances, with most patients (71.1 per cent) starting their treatment on time, which is better than average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (64.2 per cent).
The hospital performed 960 planned surgeries this quarter, with all urgent planned surgeries (100 per cent) performed on time.