Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) Emergency Departments (EDs)
performed well in the July to September 2020 quarter while continuing the local
COVID-19 response.
The latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) quarterly report shows 24,356 people
presented to the District’s EDs from July to September 2020, a decrease of 17.1 per
cent or 5017 people compared to the same period in 2019.
Chief Executive of SNSWLHD, Margaret Bennett, said despite the drop in
presentations, clinicians have been kept busy with COVID-19. A total of 38,724
COVID-19 tests were completed across the District in both inpatient and outpatient
settings during that period alone.
“All our staff are doing a wonderful job providing the best quality patient care during
this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the District performed better
than the statewide results, with urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent surgery
procedures all performing ahead of the state average,” Ms Bennett said.
“The most urgent patients in our emergency departments were treated more quickly
and, importantly, 100 per cent of urgent surgeries were performed on time.
“We saw 82.3 per cent of patients leave the ED within four hours, a 1.8 percentage
point improvement on the same quarter in 2019, and better than the NSW state
average of 71.5 per cent.
“More than 93 per cent of patients were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within
the 30-minute benchmark,” she said.
Ms Bennett said the figures come on the back of extensive investment by the NSW
Government in a number of facilities across the District, including the $150 million
Goulburn Hospital and Health Service redevelopment, with an upgraded Goulburn
Base Hospital as the main element of the project.
Furthermore, $18.6 million is being spent redeveloping Cooma Hospital, and $200
million has been committed to building a new health facility in Eurobodalla.
A total of $8 million spent on the Yass Hospital redevelopment, with funding for the
Braidwood Multipurpose Service (MPS) redevelopment coming from the $300 million
state-wide program of works to upgrade MPS facilities in a number of rural and remote
communities across NSW.
Since March 2020, the NSW Government has committed more than $3.0 billion to help
transform the healthcare system to increase its capacity and ensure it is well placed to
manage the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and respond to any future crises. This
funding has helped bring the 2020-21 Health budget to $29.3 billion.
Individual Hospital Results
Batemans Bay District Hospital
Batemans Bay District Hospital had 2752 ED presentations, down 25 per cent, or
916 fewer people compared with the same quarter in 2019. The proportion of patients
leaving the ED within four hours was 83.1 per cent, ahead of the state target of 81 per
cent, while the median time to leave the ED was one hour 50 minutes, well ahead of
the NSW median of 2 hours 42 minutes.
Elective surgery performance at the hospital remained steady, with 100 per cent of
the 123 elective surgery procedures being completed on time.
Moruya District Hospital
Moruya District Hospital had more than 2300 ED attendances, down by nearly 16
per cent, or 433 fewer presentations, and recorded a consistent ED performance,
with 75.2 per cent of patients leaving the ED within four hours (the same result as the
same quarter of 2019). Meanwhile, the median time to leave the ED was two hours
30 minutes, ahead of the NSW median.
Elective surgery performance at the hospital remained steady, with 100 per cent of
the 223 elective surgery procedures being completed on time.
South East Regional Hospital
South East Regional Hospital (SERH) experienced a 9.9 per cent decrease in
emergency presentations, down 481 to 4,383 compared to the same quarter in 2019.
Performance in the emergency department improved, with 79.7 per cent of people
leaving the ED within four hours, to be ahead of the state and peer group average.
Urgent elective surgery performance at the hospital remained steady, with 100 per
cent of urgent surgery performed on time.
The 2019-20 budget for Southern New South Wales Local Health District
(SNSWLHD) is almost $434 million. This is an increase of nearly $13 million on the
previous financial year’s budget.
Between mid-2012 and mid-2019, the Southern New South Wales Local Health
District increased its workforce by an additional 467 full time equivalent staff - an
increase of 26.4 per cent including 49 more doctors, 158 more nurses and midwives,
and 68 more allied health staff.
