Nearly 3500 patients through local EDs during Christmas break
The Christmas and New Year holidays have proven to be a busy period for staff at Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service emergency departments.
Emergency department data from Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Maryborough hospitals revealed that between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day there were 3,454 emergency presentations across the region.
Bundaberg Hospital was the busiest, seeing an average of 143 patients a day, with the busiest day being December 27, when 170 patients presented.
Hervey Bay Hospital experienced an average of 133 patients a day, with the busiest day being December 30, when 160 people were seen by the emergency team.
Maryborough Hospital’s ED saw an average of 70 people a day during the holidays, with their busiest days being Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, with 87 presentations on each day.
“The Christmas and New Year holidays are a really busy time for our emergency department teams, which is reflected by the increased number of presentations across the three departments,” WBHHS Acting Chief Executive Scott McConnel said.
“At Hervey Bay and Maryborough hospitals, our teams dealt with increased presentations not only when compared to our normal daily average, but also in comparison to the same holiday period last year, which highlights the ever-increasing demand on our departments.
“Bundaberg Hospital also experienced an increased daily presentation figure, but it didn’t rise as steeply as previous years – which suggests the community may be heeding the message of leaving the emergency department for emergencies.”
At Hervey Bay Hospital the average presentations during the 2018 Christmas and New Year period represented a 20.4% increase on the daily average for the calendar year, at Maryborough Hospital there was a 19.3% jump in presentations and at Bundaberg Hospital there was 3.6% rise.
“WBHHS would like to thank our residents and visitors for working with us and being patient at what is a busy time for our staff,” Mr McConnel said.
“On behalf of the executive of the WBHHS, I’d also like to thank all our staff, including our emergency department teams, for their efforts throughout the Christmas and New Year period.
“While our community celebrates Christmas and the New Year with loved ones, many of our staff are giving up time with their own families to provide excellent care to our patients. We couldn’t function without their dedication.”
