Patients at Gunnedah Hospital are being treated and released quicker, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) statistics.
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In the most recent quarter, 74 per cent of patients in the emergency department (ED) were treated on time, compared to 69 per cent from January-March 2018.
The rate of patients departing the ED on time has also improved by 1.4 per cent, with 88.5 per cent leaving within four hours of presentation.
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Gunnedah Hospital senior manager Kylie Whitford said improving the treatment and departing times was "always a focus".
"We continue to work with our ED staff, both nursing and medical, as there's always scope for improvement on how we treat people on time and getting them through the ED department on time," Ms Whitford said.
"Work has been done through the local team and rural critical care staff to [ensure we are] more efficient."
Hunter New England Health's chief executive Michael DiRienzo was also pleased with the improvement.
"We continue to work hard to ensure more patients receive their surgery sooner, by working closely with surgeons and facilities with capacity and shorter waiting times to reduce the amount of time patients need to wait for their treatment," Mr DiRienzo said.
The BHI statistics also show a decrease in babies born at Gunnedah Hospital. There were 31 babies in the quarter, compared to 52 in the same three months of 2018.
Emergency departments continue to see those less urgent presentations, so we encourage people to see their GP for non-urgent medical care. This is the best place for them to be treated.
- Gunnedah Hospital senior manager Kylie Whitford
Ms Whitford said there was nothing the hospital specifically recognised that would make these figures different.
"Given the way the numbers fluctuate, it's just a natural way that babies seem to be born ... birthing periods have peaks and lows," she said.
"Looking at our data for the past few years it does fluctuate; whilst there was a drop in [January-March 2018] it was up in October-December 2018 and quite low again in April-June 2018."
Ms Whitford said chronic disease and flu presentations were on the rise, because of the aging population and flu season on the doorstep.
She said there were also still too many locals arriving at the ED with minor problems.
"Emergency departments continue to see those less urgent presentations, so we encourage people to see their GP for non-urgent medical care. This is the best place for them to be treated," she said.
Jessica Worboys
Education and youth reporter at the Northern Daily Leader. Get in touch via jessica.worboys@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Education and youth reporter at the Northern Daily Leader. Get in touch via jessica.worboys@austcommunitymedia.com.au
