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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:

RURAL HOSPITALS DELIVERING TOP NOTCH PATIENT CARE
Published: 23 Jul 2020

Patients in two small rural health facilities in Northern NSW Local Health District have given staff a huge tick of approval, with 84 percent rating the care and treatment they received as ‘very good’ – the highest result in NSW.

Ninety-seven per cent of respondents said they received the ‘right amount’ of information about their condition or treatment.

The Rural Hospital Emergency Care Patient Survey 2019, a report by the Bureau of Health Information released yesterday, surveyed patients who attended a small rural public hospital between January to April 2019. It includes the Kyogle Memorial Hospital and the Nimbin MultiPurpose Service. The previous equivalent survey was held in 2015-16.

Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) patients reported very high rates of satisfaction with the emergency department staff, doctors and nurses who treated them at the two sites.

The report also showed a 13 percentage point improvement on the 2015-16 survey. Eighty-eight per cent would speak highly of their experience in the ED to family and friends, while 95 percent agreed the ED nurses were ‘always’ polite and courteous’.

Communication and discharge planning were rated highly by patients, with 98 per cent saying that health professionals explained the purpose of medication in a way they could understand, and 91 percent agreeing they felt involved in decisions about their discharge from hospital, the highest result in NSW and an improvement of 8 percentage points on the previous survey in 2015-16.

NNSWLHD Chief Executive Wayne Jones said the results are a testament to the efficient, hardworking and caring teams who care for their local communities in Nimbin and Kyogle.

“People across our region expect to receive high quality care, no matter where they live,” Mr Jones said.

“The staff in our smaller sites work extremely hard to provide compassionate, patient-centred care, and they should be proud of their efforts.

“They also work closely with the bigger hospitals to ensure patients have safe transfer of care and access to health services right across our footprint.”

Patients also reported high levels of satisfaction when it came to cleanliness, with 94 per cent of respondents saying the ED treatment area was ‘very clean’.

“Providing excellent hospital care is a team effort, and it’s great to see our fantastic cleaning staff being recognised for the work they do in keeping the environment clean and hygienic for our community.”

KYOGLE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: 96 percent said the doctors were polite and courteous, and 92 percent said the ED treatment area was ‘very clean’. 82 percent of respondents rated the care they received as ‘very good’ and 85 percent would speak highly of their experience to family and friends. 97 percent said the amount of information they received about their condition or treatment was ‘about right’.

NIMBIN MULTI-PURPOSE SERVICE: Results improved significantly in 11 out of 61 performance indicators when compared with the previous survey in 2015-16. 99 percent said the ED staff on arrival and the ED nurses were polite and courteous. 94 percent of respondents agreed that health professionals explained things in a way they could understand, and 97 percent said the amount of information they received about their condition or treatment was ‘about right’. 98 percent said the ED treatment area was ‘very clean.’ 94 percent said they would speak highly of their experience to family and friends.