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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:

Murwillumbah District Hospital exterior, as seen from the entrance roadway
Published: 14 Mar 2024

STATEMENT:

Murwillumbah District Hospital (MDH) will continue to provide key health care services to the Tweed Valley community when the new Tweed Valley Hospital (TVH) becomes operational in May.

As part of the Tweed-Byron network, MDH services will complement those provided at the new Tweed Valley Hospital, ensuring access to safe and high-quality healthcare continues across the region.  

There will be no redundancies as a result of the service changes as impacted staff will continue working either at MDH in alternative positions, or transfer to TVH.

Northern NSW Local Health District is committed to retaining all our permanent workforce and will work with staff and our union partners to enable a smooth transition.

We value our extremely dedicated and skilled workforce, and the reputation of Murwillumbah District Hospital staff for providing excellent patient care is well known.

Staff will be kept updated and supported throughout these changes, and we’ll ensure staff and community representatives are informed and consulted through this transition. 

Most existing services at Murwillumbah District Hospital will remain in place including: 

  • the Emergency Department, 
  • medical low acuity inpatient ward, 
  • day surgery such as ophthalmology and endoscopy, 
  • rehabilitation, 
  • palliative care, 
  • chemotherapy,
  • renal dialysis, 
  • outpatients, and 
  • community health services.

As announced in mid-2022, there will be some changes to the surgical services provided at MDH, once TVH opens. MDH will then change to providing day-surgery cases only, with no overnight inpatient surgical admissions. Inpatient surgical services will transfer to TVH, utilising the state-of-the-art theatre suite, digitised technology and enhanced specialty patient support, such as the ICU.  
The MDH inpatient surgical ward will continue to accommodate overnight stay patients during the transition from The Tweed Hospital to the new Tweed Valley Hospital, and is then planned to close on 17 May 2024.

The vast majority of surgery (around 92 per cent) currently undertaken at MDH is day-only.

In the 2022-23 financial year, there were 158 elective surgery patients who were admitted overnight, out of a total of 1762 total surgeries, which equates to an average of three inpatient surgical admissions per week.

-ends- 

Attributable to Tracey Maisey, Chief Executive, Northern NSW Local Health District