WIMMERA Base Hospital has outperformed the state average for emergency care response times.
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The latest Department of Health figures showed 97 per cent of category two patients were seen within the desired 10 minutes, significantly higher than the 85 per cent state-wide average.
Eighty-two per cent of category three patients were seen within 30 minutes, above the state average of 76 per cent.
Category four patients, seen within an hour, were only slightly above average, with 74 per cent at Wimmera Base Hospital and 73 per cent for all Victorian emergency departments.
Wimmera Base Hosptial treated 2637 patients in the January to March quarter.
Eighty-one per cent of them were seen within the desired time according to their category.
This figure was four per cent higher than the Victorian average.
All category one patients were seen immediately across the state.
Wimmera Health Care Group chief executive Chris Scott said despite the impressive results, he would look for continual improvement.
“At the moment the numbers are looking very good,” he said.
“We are happy with that, but we do have certain pockets where we have opportunities to improve.
“We can always improve patients being seen in the allocated time.
“We can ensure they are not in the hospital any longer than is necessary and continue to deliver care that meets patients’ individual needs.
“We are looking for innovative ways to do things and improvements all the time.”
Mr Scott said it had been a busy week for the emergency department, which included treating a Dimboola family after a crash on Blue Ribbon Road 12 kilometres north of Horsham.
A passenger, 14, was flown to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital with leg and pelvic injuries.
The driver, 34, was taken to Wimmera Base Hospital. She was later discharged.
A man, 35, and two children, three and four, were also treated there.
“This week we’ve had our challenges, especially with the number of motor vehicle accidents,” he said.
“Our staff are really well trained and have dealt with that well.”
Mr Scott said the success of the emergency department relied on other aspects of hospital care running efficiently.
“It is not just the emergency department that needs to be proficient in looking after that level of care,” he said.
“It is the back of the hospital that’s very important too. You really need to have that flow through and we do a lot of work on patient flows in Horsham and outlying towns.”