Young Hospital has the best result in the state for facilities of the same size for ED waiting times according to the latest findings from the Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly Report (January to March 2025).
According to the data in the report Young Hospital had 2,248 emergency department attendances between January and March this year with a 12.6 percent decrease on the number of attendances in the same period in 2024.
The health service performed 50 planned surgeries and delivered 29 babies through the first quarter of the year, however, it was the ED presentations and waiting times where Young Health Service shined.
"The majority of patients (84.6 percent) started treatment on time, and almost all (93.4 percent) were able to leave the ED within four hours, the best result in the state for hospitals of a similar size," Murrumbidgee Local Health District said.
MLHD executive director medical services Professor Len Bruce thanked staff for their hard work throughout the period, which saw an increase in the number of patients receiving planned surgeries and the strong results from the Emergency Department figures.
Latest Stories
"Our results are a testament to the hard work of our highly skilled workforce, and I commend our teams for their dedication to providing the best possible care to our patients," Prof Bruce said.
Across the MLHD there were a total of 3,877 presentations to EDs by patients with imminently life threatening conditions (triage 2), an increase of 135 patients, or 3.6 percent, compared to the same time last year, while the non urgent presentations (triage category 5) increased to 5,580, a difference of 98 presentations or 1.8 percent, compared to the same period the year before.
"Despite the high demand in our EDs, more than eight in 10 patients started their treatment on time, well above the state average, and the second best result in the state," MLHD said.
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 Healthcare Quarterly report to reflect the new targets.
According to MLHD due to the change in reporting, the results for the new Hospital Access Targets cannot be compared to the previous January – March 2024 quarter.
“All patients are seen and triaged on arrival at the ED and, as always, the most seriously unwell patients are treated first,” Professor Bruce said.
“During busy times, people with less urgent conditions can experience longer wait times when there are large numbers of seriously unwell patients being prioritised for emergency care.”
MLHD said it continues to invest in strategies to improve the timeliness for patients presenting to EDs.
"We continue to remind the community to support us by saving emergency departments and ambulances for saving lives," MLHD said.
"If an illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening, we encourage people to call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for trusted health advice, 24-hours a day, seven days a week."
