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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
Published: 10 Jun 2026

Activity in emergency departments and surgical theatres continued at high levels across Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) during the January to March 2026 quarter, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly Report.

The report shows 58,014 patients attended an emergency department (ED) in the district during the period, an increase of 2.4 per cent or 1,366 attendances compared with the same period in 2025.

Three quarters of patients (75.4 per cent) started treatment on time, an improvement of 2.4 percentage points compared with the same quarter the previous year.

Tweed Valley Hospital was the busiest hospital in the district, with 14,863 attendances in the January to March quarter, an increase of 0.9 per cent or 129 attendances compared with the same quarter last year.

A total of 10,694 patients arrived at NNSWLHD hospitals by ambulance during the quarter, an increase of 12.3 per cent or 1,169 arrivals compared with the same quarter in 2025. The percentage of patients transferred from ambulance paramedics to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark remained stable at 81.5 per cent.

Acuity levels continued to rise across the district for the quarter, with the number of patients requiring resuscitation (Triage Category 1) increasing by 28.5 per cent, or 65 patients to 293, when compared with the same quarter last year.

Presentations requiring emergency treatment (Triage Category 2) increased by 12.8 per cent or 863 presentations to 7,579, and urgent presentations (Triage Category 3) also increased by 7.7 per cent or 1,534 to 21,463 when compared with the same time last year.

By contrast, the number of semi-urgent and non-urgent patients attending an ED in the quarter decreased. There were 21,965 semi-urgent presentations, a decrease of 1.7 per cent or 380 presentations, while non-urgent presentations decreased by 16.3 per cent or 780 presentations, to 4,012 when compared with the same quarter last year.

This coincides with an increased uptake of alternative pathways to care outside of the hospital, including Healthdirect and the expansion of virtual care services across NSW.

NNSWLHD Director of Clinical Operations, Lynne Weir, thanked staff for their continued dedication and commitment to patient care.

“Activity across our hospitals in Northern NSW continues to rise and our staff are working hard to care for patients in a caring, timely, and efficient manner, as reflected in the latest quarterly results,” Ms Weir said.

“This high activity comes as the level of acuity and complexity of patients attending our hospitals continues to rise. I’d like to thank everyone for their continuing commitment to providing outstanding care for our community.”

“We are continuing to invest in strategies to encourage people with less urgent care needs to seek treatment at one of the region’s primary health facilities such as the Tweed or Lismore Urgent Care Clinics, or by calling Healthdirect, where you can get connected to the right care, 24/7.”

Lismore Base Hospital and Tweed Valley Hospital are now also rostering to Safe Staffing Levels in their emergency departments. Ballina District Hospital and Grafton Base Hospital are in the process of implementing Safe Staffing Levels in their emergency departments.  

The staffing boost enables the rostering of a one-to-one nursing care ratio for generally occupied ED resuscitation beds on all shifts, and one nurse to three generally occupied ED treatment spaces and ED short-stay unit beds on all shifts.

All patients attending an ED are seen and triaged on arrival and, as always, the most seriously unwell patients are treated first. During busy times, people with less urgent conditions can experience longer wait times when there are large numbers of seriously unwell patients being prioritised for emergency care.

NNSWLHD continued its strong focus on boosting surgery procedures during the January to March 2026 quarter, with 3,499 planned surgeries performed, an increase of 2.7 per cent or 93 additional surgeries. This resulted in a 7.2 per cent (393 patients) drop in the number of patients waiting for surgery at the end of the quarter, when compared to the same period in 2025.

The majority (78.7 per cent) of planned surgeries were performed on time across the district, an improvement of 7.9 percentage points when compared with the same quarter last year.

Almost every patient (99.4 per cent) requiring urgent surgery received their treatment on time, an increase of 10.4 percentage points when compared with the same period last year.

The number of non-urgent surgeries performed on time also increased by 15.2 percentage points, to 76.8 per cent when compared to the same quarter the previous year.

Patients who feel their condition may have deteriorated while waiting for their surgery are encouraged to contact their treating doctor who can review their condition and place them in a higher urgency category if appropriate.  

If an illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening, people are encouraged to call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222, and speak to a registered nurse, for 24-hour telephone health advice.

To find out more about the latest BHI quarterly results, visit https://www.bhi.nsw.gov.au/data-portal

INDIVIDUAL HOSPITAL RESULTS

BALLINA DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,771 ED attendances during the quarter, an increase of 4.5 per cent or 207 attendances when compared with the same quarter last year. More than eight in 10 patients (86.4 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, while 80.1 per cent of all patients left the ED within four hours. A total of 263 planned surgeries were completed, an increase of 5.2 per cent or 13 surgeries on the same period in 2025. All urgent and semi-urgent planned surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time.

GRAFTON BASE HOSPITAL had 7,419 ED attendances during this quarter, an increase of 5.5 per cent or 385 attendances on the same quarter last year. More than seven in 10 patients (73.2 per cent) left the ED within four hours, better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (69.3 per cent). A total of 527 planned surgeries were completed during the quarter. Almost all (97.8 per cent) urgent planned surgeries were performed on time, an improvement of 7.2 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2025.

LISMORE BASE HOSPITAL had 10,663 ED attendances during the quarter, an increase of 7.6 per cent or 755 additional attendances when compared with the same quarter last year. A total of 3,254 patients arrived at the hospital via ambulance, an increase of 12.8 per cent or 368 arrivals compared with the same quarter the previous year. Most of these patients (78.4 per cent) were transferred from their ambulance to the ED within the 30-minute benchmark, representing a 10.3 percentage point improvement on the same quarter the previous year. A total of 1,146 planned surgeries were completed. All urgent planned surgeries (100 per cent) were performed on time.

MURWILLUMBAH DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,591 ED attendances during the quarter, a 5.3 per cent less or 256 fewer attendances on the same quarter the previous year. More than nine in 10 patients (90.6 per cent) started their treatment on time, an improvement of 5.2 percentage points when compared with the same quarter the previous year and the second highest result of hospitals of a similar size in NSW. Nine in 10 patients (90.6 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving, better than any other hospital of its size in the state. Almost all patients (98.4 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. A total of 318 planned surgeries were completed.  

TWEED VALLEY HOSPITAL had 14,863 ED attendances during the quarter an increase of 0.9 per cent or 129 attendances compared with the same quarter the previous year. A total of 79.5 per cent of patients started their treatment on time, significantly better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (65.5 per cent). Eight in ten patients (80.2 per cent) patients were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark. A total of 1,019 planned surgeries were completed, an increase of 13.5 per cent or 121 more surgeries compared with the same period in 2025. Almost all (98.9 per cent) urgent planned surgeries were performed on time, an improvement of 8.1 percentage points.

ENDS.

BACKGROUND:
BHI has incorporated the new 2025 NSW Hospital Peer Group changes into this quarterly report. As a result, Byron Central Hospital, Casino & District Memorial Hospital and Maclean District Hospital have moved from C2 to D1 classification and are no longer reported individually in Healthcare Quarterly. However, their results continue to contribute to LHD, peer group and NSW-level results. This statistical reclassification does not impact on funding or existing service levels.

PHOTO: More than 90 per cent of all patients left the Emergency Department at Murwillumbah District Hospital within four hours of arriving, better than any other hospital of its size in NSW.