Byron, Maclean, Murwillumbah rank high on list of best performing hospitals on the North Coast
Which North Coast hospital is fastest at treating patients in the emergency department? New data has revealed which hospitals performed the best at the end of 2021. See the list.
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Byron Central, Murwillumbah and Maclean District hospitals have some of the quickest emergency department treatments and elective surgery results on the North Coast, according to new data.
The NSW Bureau of Health released data collected from October to December last year showing which hospitals on the North Coast are performing best.
The information reveals hospitals from Grafton to Tweed have had some challenges dealing with increased admissions into emergency departments but some have also excelled.
Almost all urgent procedures (98.9 per cent) were completed on time, with 84.8 per cent of semi-urgent, and 81 per cent of non-urgent surgeries performed on time.
Hospitals and nurses have had to deal with the brunt of the Omicron strain putting a spotlight on working conditions which led to strikes in February.
This list ranks hospitals based on median time spent in emergency departments, whether hospitals were starting emergency treatment on time and if elective surgeries were being completed on time.
Maclean District Hospital
Maclean District Hospital boasts the fastest turnaround for any patient entering the emergency department.
The hospital has also had a massive improvement in their emergency treatments with the median time for people leaving the ED improving by 32 minutes, to one hour and 27 minutes.
Three quarters of patients at Maclean District also have their emergency treatment starting on time with 91.4 per cent of people leaving the ED within four hours.
Byron Central Hospital
Byron Central Hospital has seen some of the biggest improvements with 83.7 per cent of patients starting emergency department treatment on time, a ten percentage point improvement.
Also, 82.2 per cent of patients left the ED within four hours with the second fastest ED leaving time on the North coast improving to one hour and 49 minutes.
Casino & District Memorial Hospital
Casino & District Memorial Hospital had an almost ten per cent increase in the amount of admissions into the emergency department in the last quarter of 2021.
Despite that the hospital still had a quick turnaround for emergency department admissions with the median time spent in ED being one hour and 44 minutes.
Just under a third of patients started treatment on time, with 83.3 per cent leaving the within four hours potentially pointing to the hospital needing extra resources to deal with increased ED admissions.
They had an elective surgery on-time completion rate of 94.1 per cent.
Murwillumbah District Hospital
During the last quarter of 2021, 80.2 per cent of patients started their treatment on time and 84.2 per cent left the emergency department within four hours giving Murwillumbah District Hospital a solid tick at the end of the year.
On average, patients at Murwillumbah District Hospital will spend one hour and 48 minutes in the emergency department.
The hospital overcame significant challenges during the Omicron lockdown but still completed all elective surgeries on time.
Ballina District Hospital
Ballina District Hospital had similar results to Casino with 67.9% of patients starting emergency department treatment in a timely fashion and 78.9% leaving within four hours.
This is the first hospital where the median time to leave the ED ticks over two hours with Balina District at two hours and eight minutes.
That was despite a 4.7 per cent decrease in emergency department admissions in the quarter.
Grafton Base Hospital
Grafton Base Hospital rode the Omicron wave and came out the other end with steady performances compared to 2020.
Between October and December 2021, 73.7 per cent of patients started their emergency treatment on time however the percentage of patients leaving in under four hours hadn’t improved since 2020, remaining at just under 70%.
The median time from arriving to leaving the emergency department also remained steady at two hours and 34 minutes with all urgent elective surgery completed on time.
Tweed District Hospital
Tweed District Hospital had a very similar performance to the same reported period as 2020.
The median time spent in the emergency department was two hours and 32 minutes.
During the quarter 78.3 per cent of patients started their treatment on time, while 70.3 per cent of people left the ED within four hours out of a total of over 12,000 emergency admissions.
All urgent elective surgery was completed on time.
Lismore Base Hospital
Lismore Base Hospital had slower reported times compared to other hospitals on the North Coast in the last few months of 2021.
They had over 10,000 admissions into the Emergency Department with 63.5 per cent of patients starting treatment on time but just 56.2 per cent of patients left the ED within four hours.
The median time from arriving to leaving the emergency department however was still three hours and 34 minutes.
Lismore Base also had an elective surgery on-time completion rate of 98.6%.
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Originally published as Byron, Maclean, Murwillumbah rank high on list of best performing hospitals on the North Coast
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