General manager Jodi Nieass looks around the curtained cubicles and describes the department as “the hub of the hospital”. It’s where people come in crisis to seek help and she reveals that between October and December 2016 staff worked to care for more than 7800 people.

Mrs Nieass says the numbers continue to increase but proudly shares the latest Bureau of Health Information report reveals a 21 per cent decrease in the number of patients leaving without treatment or completing treatment, and importantly, 81 per cent of patients were treated, admitted, discharged or referred within four hours.

“We’ve managed to increase our emergency treatment performance by almost nine per cent from the same period last year despite having a seven per cent increase in patient presentations in that time,” Mrs Nieass said.

“It’s not just an emergency department success, it’s a whole of hospital success. We have to get patients out of beds upstairs and into rehab beds and out to private hospitals ... everyone is working together.”

Mrs Nieass cites the appointment of a nurse practitioner position to the department as one improvement that has helped to improve the flow of patients in and out of the hospital. 

“A nurse practitioner is the most advanced nursing position. If you present to the emergency department with a cut finger that might need a couple of stitches and a tetanus shot, instead of waiting to see a doctor, we will put you on fast track to see the nurse practitioner and you will be seen quicker, treated and out the door.

“We have got one for 10 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and we’ve tried to match that with peak activity times.”

Mrs Nieass says the hospital has “also been able to recruit some emergency department staff specialists and that’s improved the skill mix of the medical staff.”

“Traditionally we rostered a lot of locum workforce in the emergency department but now we are getting regular emergency trained physicians which are a welcome addition.”

Orthopaedic and ophthalmology elective surgery wait times increased but Mrs Nieass says it is on her agenda and one improvement strategy includes using resources at Gloucester Soldiers Memorial Hospital.

“We are looking at trying to do some ophthalmology lists at Gloucester and sending minor procedures out there to make more room for acute procedures here.”

Mrs Nieass is quick to challenge the suggestion that Manning Hospital is insufficiently funded to meet the needs of residents in the Manning, Great Lakes and Gloucester areas.

“When I started in this role I sat down with Dr Jim Wills (director of clinical services and director of emergency department) and said, ‘OK, what are the priorities that we think need to be addressed’ and everything has been addressed and funded.

“We are now looking at orthopaedics and we are going to work out what our needs are … so far everything we have put up for funding we have been able to achieve.

“I honestly can’t complain.”