Hospital performance figures for the December quarter released this week showed all response times had improved from the September quarter.

The figures show 100 per cent of category one emergency patients were treated immediately on arrival at the hospital’s emergency department.

Of all ambulance transfers, 95.8 per cent were completed within 40 minutes – above the state-wide benchmark of 90 per cent.

Wimmera Health Care Group chief executive Chris Scott said he was pleased with the performance indicators.

“It demonstrates how busy Wimmera Base Hospital is and the number of people we have going through the emergency department, hospital and theatre,” he said. 

“Our average length of stay at the hospital, across all indicators, was better than the state average.”

The hospital treated 91 per cent of category two patients within 10 minutes – up from 77 per cent in the previous quarter and beating the state-wide target of 80 per cent.

Eighty per cent of category three patients were treated within 30 minutes – up from 71 per cent the previous quarter.

Mr Scott said the efficiency of staff and services had led to the improvements in response times.

He said the hospital asked people to be patient when presenting to the emergency department.

“We are very grateful for our staff, who are quite clearly under pressure at times,” he said.

The hospital was busier from October to December, with 753 emergency patients admitted – 101 more people than the comparable quarter in 2012.

More than 2800 patients in total were admitted in the December quarter, which was an increase of 200 people on the same period in 2012.