BY EMILY WILLIAMS and DANEIE GEDDES
The Hunter New England Local Health District performed well in the first quarter of 2023, a new report has revealed.
The latest Bureau of Health Information's Healthcare Quarterly report captures the district's public hospitals between January and March.
In that period, HNEH hospitals saw 110,800 people presented to emergency departments, with a record-breaking 14,781 of these patients experiencing "imminently life-threatening conditions".
Acting Chief Executive of the Hunter New England Local Health District Susan Heyman says the staff are to thank.
"I would like to express my gratitude to our dedicated staff who continue to go above and beyond to provide life-saving care to our patients, despite high activity and ongoing challenges to secure health staff, especially across our rural and regional areas," she said.
The report revealed 66.4% of patients started their treatment on time and almost 1 in 8 patients were transferred from ambulance to hospital staff in under thirty-minutes.
However, more than 50% of people presenting to emergency departments did not require urgent, life-saving, or critical care.
Ms. Heyman says she urges everyone to reserve trips to emergency for emergencies and instead call Health Direct Australia on 1800 022 222 for 24 hour care if an injury or illness is not life-threatening.
Meantime, the most recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed which hospitals across the HUNTER are getting it right when it comes to hand hygiene.
Cessnock leads the way at 93.20%, followed by the John Hunter at 92.80, Maitland at 89.90 and Singleton just creeping past the national benchmark of 80% with 80.10.
The data also found the national hand hygiene compliance rate at 88 per cent with lowest compliance rates among doctors at 79.5%, followed by ambulance workers at 74.5%.
However, the new data reveals a significant improvement in hand hygiene practices compared to almost a decade ago, where a considerable percentage of hospitals in NSW were falling short of meeting the national benchmark.
