Statistics released by the Burea of Health Information (BHI) activity and performance profile for Wagga Base Hospital from January to March 2022 show waiting times at Wagga Base Hospital had increased by eight per cent in comparison to the same time last year.

According to the statistics 10, 741 patients presented to the emergency department during those months, 3030 of them were admitted to the hospital and 1365 were deemed non-urgent.

Of those patients, 44.6 per cent waited longer than four hours before leaving compared to 36.6 per cent last year.

The median wait time according to the BHI report was three hours and 37 minutes.

Less than 25 per cent of patients needing urgent care received treatment on time, which is 16 per cent less than last year for the same time frame.

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MLHD acting chief executive Carla Bailey thanked staff for their hard work throughout what she says was an unprecedented period of activity.

"Our emergency departments have continued to provide care that is well above the state average in terms of wait times, and our ambulance transfer of care times are the best in the state for this quarter," she said.

"I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our highly skilled and dedicated workforce. These results are a testament to their hard work."

While it is understandable hospital staff are under pressure, residents are wanting issues they say exist within Wagga Base Hospital to be addressed once and for all.

Wagga resident Lou Fell said staff recruitment needs to be prioritised to stop lengthy waiting times, which she said has been a common occurrence at Wagga Base Hospital.

Miss Fell said she congratulates the staff for putting up with poor treatment from angry patients and for meeting the major and constant demands that have been required of them.

The MLHD said the district is still well above the state average for seeing patients within the recommended time.

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