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EMERGENCY

In an emergency, always call triple zero (000) for an ambulance. Ambulances are the safest way to be assessed, treated and transported to the right hospital for the care you need.

Triple zero (000) is a free call from any phone, mobile or phone box.

For less severe but still urgent situations, go to an Emergency Department.

There are 12 public hospital Emergency Departments in Northern NSW Local Health District and they are all available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Emergency departments are located at:

Excellent patient care continues during COVID-19
Published: 09 Nov 2022

Patients receiving care at hospitals in Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) in 2021 have given local health staff excellent ratings in the Bureau of Health Information’s latest Adult Admitted Patient Survey, released today.

Patients from across NNSWLHD provided positive feedback on their experiences during a period of significant upheaval for the Northern NSW community, with 92 per cent saying the care they received at local hospitals was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

Across the region, 94 per cent of patients surveyed rated the doctors who treated them as good or very good, with 96 per cent rating the nurses who treated them as good or very good.

NNSWLHD Chief Executive Wayne Jones said the positive results were a testament to the ability of health staff to deliver compassionate and patient-focused care even amongst trying circumstances.

“Last year in particular, our staff faced added daily challenges which were impacting the way patients – and their loved ones - interacted with our health services,” Mr Jones said.

“These included measures like screening hospital visitors for respiratory symptoms and vaccination status, increased infection prevention controls within our facilities, border restrictions impacting on the ability of staff and patients to get to hospital, and increasing hospitalisations as a result of the local spike in COVID-19 cases in the last quarter of 2021.

“Many of our staff were also involved in COVID-related functions which took them away from their usual place of work, such as vaccination programs, contact tracing and staff education to ensure we could support our residents to get through the pandemic.  

“Health staff continued to put patient care and compassion at the fore, and we can see that reflected through the experiences of patients. Thank you to all our staff for your amazing efforts.”

The 2022-23 budget for Northern NSW Local Health District is over $985 million, an increase of more than $40 million, or 4.3 per cent more, on the previous year’s budget.

Between mid-2012 and mid-2022 NNSWLHD increased its workforce by an additional 1,127 full time equivalent staff - an increase of 29.9 per cent including 223 more doctors, 374 more nurses and midwives, and 132 more allied health staff.

 

OTHER HOSPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

BALLINA DISTRICT HOSPITAL: Almost all patients, 98 per cent, rated the care they received overall as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, and 91 per cent said the staff they met on arrival were polite and welcoming. Ninety-four per cent of patients said the health professionals were kind and caring, and 86 per cent said hospital areas were ‘very clean’.

BYRON CENTRAL HOSPITAL: Ninety per cent of patients rated the care they received overall as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, and 92 per cent of patients surveyed said the hospital areas were ‘very clean’. Ninety-two per cent rated the teamwork of health professionals as ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

CASINO & DISTRICT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: Recorded results above the NSW average for 10 of the reported measures, including 84 per cent of patients who said the overall care they received was ‘very good’. Nine in 10 patients (91 per cent) said the staff they met on arrival were polite and welcoming, 89 per cent of patients ‘definitely’ had trust and confidence in the health professionals treating them, and 94 per cent said the teamwork of health professionals was ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

GRAFTON BASE HOSPITAL: Almost all patients, 97 per cent, said they would rate their overall care as ‘very good’ or ‘good’. More than eight in 10 patients (85 per cent) said the hospital areas were ‘very clean’, and 87 per cent said the staff they met on arrival were polite and welcoming.

LISMORE BASE HOSPITAL: Almost nine in 10 patients (89 per cent) rated the care they received overall as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, with 95 per cent rating the nurses who treated them as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. Ninety per cent of patients rated the teamwork of health professionals as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ and 88 per cent said the staff they met on arrival were polite and welcoming.

MACLEAN DISTRICT HOSPITAL: Ninety per cent of patients rated their care as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, and 90 per cent said staff were ‘definitely’ polite and welcoming on arrival to hospital. Ninety per cent of patients said the way health professionals worked together as a team was ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

MURWILLUMBAH DISTRICT HOSPITAL: In total, Murwillumbah recorded 16 measures significantly higher than the NSW average, across areas such as organisation of care, teamwork, communication, cleanliness and confidence in health professionals. Almost all patients, 97 per cent, said staff were polite and welcoming on arrival and 87 per cent of patients rated the overall care they received as ‘very good’, the highest individual hospital result in the state.

THE TWEED HOSPITAL: Ninety-three per-cent of patients rated the overall care they received as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, and 88 per cent said staff on arrival were ‘definitely’ polite and welcoming. Eight in 10 patients (82 per cent) said they ‘definitely’ had trust and confidence in the health professionals, and 96 per cent rated the teamwork of health professionals as ‘good’ or ‘very good’.