The latest Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly Reports (January to March 2025) show emergency department visits across the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) dropped 3.7%, or 2,153 patients; however, this was still the fourth busiest quarter ever for the district.

Lismore Base Hospital (LBH) saw 9,192 attend the ED, which was a drop of 4.1%, or 428 patients. Tweed Hospital is the busiest with 14,734 attendees.

Throughout the first quarter of 2025, there were 6,716 presentations by patients with an imminently life-threatening condition (triage category 2) – the second-highest result on record for the District. LBH increased by 92 presentations, or 6.7%, to 1,474.

The majority of patients across NNSWLHD started treatment on time (72.9 per cent). This is an improvement of 1.8 percentage points compared with the same period in 2024, and better than the NSW average (67.0 per cent). LBH recorded a small improvement of 0.5% to 57.2%, just under ten per cent lower than the state average.

Across the District, 9,525 patients arrived by ambulance during the quarter, an increase of 83 patients or 0.9 per cent compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The number of patients transferred from ambulance paramedics to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time improved by 1.2 percentage points to 81.2 per cent. LBH was substantially lower at 68.1%, well below the state average of 83%. Tweed was next highest at 82.3%.

The Time Spent in the ED was a good result for NNSWLHD, with an average of 1 hour and 58 minutes per patient. The state average is 3 hours and 5 minutes. Unfortunately, LBH recorded the same time as the NSW average, 3 hours and 5 minutes. This was an improvement of 4 minutes from the same period in 2024.

The NNSWLHD said, "We sincerely thank our highly skilled and dedicated staff for their continued commitment to high-quality care and service during this time. NNSWLHD remains focused on ensuring patients are treated in a timely manner when presenting to the ED, with strategies employed to escalate patient flow and prioritise discharges across all clinical disciplines." 

Urgent Care Services and programs such as Hospital in the Home are actively supported. This quarter has seen a decline in semi-urgent (triage category 4) presentations at EDs, with 22,346 presentations, 1,751 fewer, or a 7.3 per cent drop, when compared with the same period in 2024.

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 emergency department (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 these 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.

In NNSW, the percentage of patients discharged from the ED within four hours was 82%, higher than the 66.7% state average. However, LBH recorded 68.3%, substantially lower than the rest of the NNSW hospitals, but just higher than the state average.

"All patients are seen and triaged when they arrive at an ED, and, as always, the most seriously unwell patients are treated first. During busy times, people with less urgent conditions may experience longer wait times when large numbers of seriously unwell patients are being prioritised for emergency care," NNSWLHD stated.

NNSWLHD completed 3,394 planned surgeries during the quarter, an increase of 64 surgeries or 1.9 per cent on the January–March 2024 quarter.

Any patient who feels their condition may have deteriorated while waiting for their surgery is encouraged to contact their treating doctor, who can review their condition and place them in a higher urgency category, if appropriate.

There were 687 babies born in the district during this quarter, which is four more than during the same period last year.

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. A nurse will answer your call, ask some questions and connect you with the right care.

INDIVIDUAL HOSPITAL RESULTS

BALLINA DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,565 ED attendances during the quarter. Two-thirds of patients (67.4 per cent) in the ED were treated and admitted, or transferred, within six hours, while 87.6 per cent of patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, an improvement of 6.1 percentage points.

BYRON CENTRAL HOSPITAL had 5,906 ED attendances during January–March 2025. The majority of patients (85.3 per cent) started their treatment on time, and more than eight in 10 patients (86.7 per cent) were discharged from the ED within four hours of arriving. More than nine in 10 patients (92.5 per cent) who arrived by ambulance were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. 

CASINO & DISTRICT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL had 3,490 ED attendances in the quarter. Of those patients treated in the ED who did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, nine in 10 patients (90.8 per cent) were discharged within four hours of arriving. 96.8 per cent of patients who arrived by ambulance were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, an improvement of 4.6 percentage points on the same quarter in 2024. 

GRAFTON BASE HOSPITAL recorded 7,034 ED attendances during this quarter, Of those patients treated in the ED who did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, 76.8 per cent of patients were discharged from the ED within four hours. Almost nine in 10 patients (89 per cent) who arrived by ambulance were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, an improvement of 4.3 percentage points.

LISMORE BASE HOSPITAL had 9,912 ED attendances during the quarter. There were 1,474 emergency presentations (triage category 2), an increase of 92 presentations or 6.7 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2024. There were 3,093 semi-urgent presentations, a drop of 561 presentations or 15.4 per cent, and 754 non-urgent presentations, a drop of 110 presentations or 12.7 per cent, when compared to the same quarter last year. A total of 2,886 patients arrived at Lismore’s ED via ambulance, an increase of 33 arrivals or 1.2 per cent on the same period last year, with 68.1 per cent of these patients transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.

MACLEAN DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,051 ED attendances during the quarter, with the majority (75.8 per cent) starting their treatment on time. Of those patients treated in the ED who did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, most (91.0 per cent) of patients were discharged from the ED within four hours. Almost all patients (95.0 per cent) who arrived by ambulance were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. 

MURWILLUMBAH DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,847 ED attendances during the quarter. More than eight in 10 (85.4 per cent) patients started their treatment on time, while of those patients treated in the ED who did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, 89.5 per cent were discharged within four hours of arriving. Almost all patients (96.6 per cent) who arrived by ambulance were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. 

TWEED VALLEY HOSPITAL had 14,734 ED attendances during the quarter. Nearly 3,000 (2,998) patients arrived via ambulance, an increase of 226 patients or up 8.2 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2024, with 82.3 per cent of these patients transferred to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. The majority of patients (80.8 per cent) started their treatment on time, the best results of any comparable-sized hospital in NSW and higher than the average (61.7 per cent) for hospitals of a similar size in NSW. Of those patients treated in the ED who did not require admission or transfer to another hospital, eight in 10 patients (80.8 per cent) were discharged within four hours of arrival.