BHI data shows Shellharbour Hospital had lower than expected mortality rates for patients with COPD. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
Shellharbour Hospital recorded positive survival rates for patients admitted with a progressive lung disorder between 2021 and 2024, with new data shining a spotlight on mortality for acute conditions managed in our health system.
The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has released data on patient deaths in the 30 days following hospital admission for seven clinical conditions to better understand patterns of mortality and identify where further, locally-driven assessment may be needed.
The statistics compare the observed number of deaths for the conditions of acute myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and hip fracture surgery, with the expected number of deaths calculated based on all patients admitted with each condition to any NSW hospital.
While rates improved statewide for six of the seven conditions, there was a 6.3 per cent increased mortality for COPD, which went from 7.9 to 8.4 deaths per 100 patients.
One hospital within the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD), Shellharbour Hospital, showed lower than expected mortality rates for the condition, which occurs when the lungs are unable to provide adequate oxygenation.
“Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) is committed to providing timely, safe, high-quality and evidence-based care,” an ISLHD spokesperson said.
“The safety and wellbeing of our patients is of paramount importance.”
In the previous reporting period of 2018 to 2021 Wollongong Hospital recorded higher than expected mortality rates for pneumonia, which were reported as in the normal range in the new data.
Across all the conditions, data shows hospitals with lower than expected mortality were mostly located in metropolitan local health districts (LHDs) and hospitals with higher than expected mortality were mostly located in regional LHDs, however outcomes showed mortality rates in ISLHD were all mostly within the normal range.
“As BHI notes, the data provided in these reports is not a measure of hospital performance or quality of care but can help to identify where further review may be needed by clinical teams to understand any contributing factors,” the ISLHD spokesperson said.
“Measuring mortality and readmission rates is not straightforward, as outcomes may reflect a combination of patient risk factors, such as age and the complexity of a patient’s condition, as well as quality and safety factors.”
Shoalhaven Hospital was identified as one of two hospitals across the state, between July 2021 and June 2024, which had higher than expected mortality rates for haemorrhagic stroke which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain develops a leak or bursts.
An ISLHD spokesperson said the hospital would “carefully consider the most recent data from the BHI to identify opportunities for improvement to patient outcomes” with many practices already in place to optimise outcomes for patients.
“Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital continues to prioritise best-practice stroke care to ensure patients receive rapid diagnosis and access to specialist stroke neurologists,” the spokesperson said.
“The management of stroke involves multidisciplinary teamwork including participation of ambulance, triage, emergency department, radiology, stroke team, ICU and the NSW Telestroke service.
“Using Telestroke, the Shoalhaven Stroke Team connects with an expert clinician via video consultation through the Telestroke Service to rapidly diagnose strokes and determine the most appropriate treatment for each patient.”
The full report is available on the BHI website.
