ELECTIVE surgeries performed on time at Tamworth hospital have been trending down since mid-2021, data reveals.
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The percentage of surgeries performed on time from January to March 2023 was the lowest recorded since the same quarter in 2021, and the third lowest percentage since the data began being collated in 2010.
Bureau of Health Information (BHI) data found 77.8 per cent of elective surgeries in Tamworth were performed on time in the most recent quarter, a drop from the prior October to December 2022 quarter, which recorded 85.6 per cent.
Patients continued to experience long waits for non-urgent elective surgery, and the effects of the suspension of services during the pandemic continued to be felt, BHI said.
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HNEh said any patients who feel their condition may have deteriorated while awaiting surgery should contact their treating doctor to review their condition and place them in a higher urgency category.
A total of 6977 planned surgeries were performed across the district, an increase of 346 surgeries on the preceding October to December 2022 quarter.
Acting chief executive Susan Heyman thanked staff for their commitment to delivering care.
Ambulance services and emergency departments across the state experienced record demand as the upward trend in activity that began before the pandemic continued, BHI said.
In the Tamworth - Gunnedah area, there were 209 more ambulance calls this January to March period, totalling 4782, compared to the same quarter the previous year.
BHI recorded 5261 responses, 405 more than the previous year, and there were 289 more incidents. The amount of incidents clocked in at 3934.
Patient transports were found to have grown by 182 on last year, to reach 2999 in 2023's first quarter.
Compared to data from the previous quarter of October to December 2022, calls, incidents and patient transports fell in the January to March quarter. Responses rose from 5226 to 5261.
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