Western NSW public hospitals have maintained strong emergency department and planned surgery performance despite a sharp rise in high-acuity demand, according to new quarterly health data released this week.

The latest Bureau of Health Information report shows hospitals across the district recorded more than 51,000 emergency presentations between July and September, including significant jumps in emergency and urgent cases.

District Chief Executive Mark Spittal said the results reflected the dedication of staff working through another challenging winter.

“The winter period is always demanding for our emergency departments and hospitals," Mr Spittal said.

"The latest BHI Healthcare Quarterly Report shows we maintained strong performance, despite sustained demand for the most critical levels of care.

“That performance is a testament to our workforce’s commitment to their communities, and I want to thank them once again for their time, effort and dedication, which continue to be the linchpin for our people to get the care they need, when and where they need it most.”

Across Western NSW, imminently life-threatening presentations rose by more than 10 per cent, while urgent cases climbed by over seven per cent.

Even with this surge, almost three-quarters of all patients began treatment on time, well ahead of state performance.

“This type of report is so valuable as it shows us where our hospitals are performing well, but also highlights the areas where we can improve.

"We are committed to applying what we learn, so our communities continue to have access to the best care possible,” Mr Spittal said.

Ambulance transfer times also improved, and nearly nine in ten planned surgeries across the district were completed within recommended timeframes.

Dubbo Hospital at the centre of rising demand

Dubbo Hospital remained the busiest facility in Western NSW, recording almost 10,000 emergency presentations during the three-month reporting period.

Emergency cases increased by more than eight per cent compared to the same quarter last year, demonstrating the hospital’s growing role as a major regional referral centre.

Nearly two-thirds of Dubbo patients began treatment on time, outperforming hospitals of similar size elsewhere in the state.

Planned surgery also remained steady, with all urgent procedures completed within recommended timeframes.

Wagga Wagga MP, Dr Joe McGirr is chairing the second inquiry into the state of healthcare in regional, rural and remote areas.

Almost 300 babies were born at Dubbo during the quarter, reflecting continued population growth in the region.

The Local Health District says more than 41 full-time equivalent nurses have now been added to emergency departments under the Safe Staffing reforms, a move designed to support staff and bolster patient care.

Death by postcode

While the performance results show a system holding under substantial pressure, they sit alongside renewed scrutiny of regional healthcare following the launch of a second NSW parliamentary inquiry in 2023.

The follow-up inquiry was established after the first inquiry delivered scathing findings, highlighting widespread gaps in access, workforce stability and patient outcomes across rural and remote NSW.

Those findings, often described colloquially as “death by postcode,” revealed that a patient’s location remains one of the strongest predictors of their health outcomes, access to specialists and waiting times for treatment.

The latest data does not include the length of elective surgery waiting lists in Western NSW or show how long patients remain in the emergency department after treatment begins.

For many people in rural areas, experiences continue to include long waits for beds, delayed imaging or specialist review, and lengthy transfers to major hospitals when local capacity is exceeded.

Staffing shortages also continue to affect many facilities, with smaller hospitals still reliant on locums, short-term contracts and rotating medical coverage.

Workforce stability was one of the central concerns raised during the first inquiry and remains a prominent issue in community feedback.

Despite improvements, health experts warn that headline figures alone do not fully capture the day-to-day realities of rural healthcare.

While Dubbo and other major centres continue to shoulder rising demand, many remote communities still face limited access, reduced after-hours services and long travel distances to receive care.

For Western NSW, the challenge now lies not just in maintaining performance under pressure but ensuring that postcode no longer determines the standard of care a patient receives.