Lismore, Grafton, Tweed hospitals approval rate revealed

Lismore patients could be waiting over a year for surgery while Murwillumbah Hospital yields surprising results, an independent survey found.

A year of unprecedented difficulties for the Northern NSW, including Covid-19 and flooding, have taken a toll on our region’s hospitals, according to the latest statistics.

Across the district there were 51,843 emergency department attendances during the January to March 2022 quarter according to latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) quarterly report.

Northern NSW local health district Chief Executive Wayne Jones said during that time significant numbers of staff were unavailable due to being exposed to or contracting the virus, whether in the community or at work.

“Our staff did an incredible job adapting to the fast-changing and complex environment of managing Covid cases, providing testing facilities for our community, and continuing to provide excellent health care during one of the most challenging periods of the pandemic,” he said.

Health professionals also battled another “significant” disruption in the form of the February and March floods said Mr Jones.

“Staff worked exceptionally hard to continue to deliver health services throughout this difficult period,” he said.

“They have gone above and beyond in their roles, and I cannot praise them highly enough.”

A suspension in non-urgent elective surgery due to the Omicron outbreak and flooding may also explain why, according to statistics, patients could expect to wait 460 days for treatment in Lismore.

Grafton Base Hospital narrowly followed at a median wait of 329 days.

Despite these suspensions, 1,414 elective surgeries were performed across the district.

Mr Jones also said the NNSWLHD will be looking to expand day only elective surgery models further in the future.

Overall, Murwillumbah District Hospital had the highest approval rating scoring no less than 78 per cent approval across the board.

Here’s the breakdown for each hospital: