The health care group’s 2014/15 annual report, released this week, shows there were 925 patients awaiting elective surgery at June 30. This is down slightly on the previous year’s figure of 952.

The hospital failed to meet its target of 850 people awaiting surgery at the close of the financial year.

All patients requiring the most urgent elective surgery were treated within 30 days while 70 per cent of urgency category two patients received surgery within a month, well below its target of 88 per cent.

However it was an improvement on the previous year when only 66 per cent of patients were seen in the time frame.

The percentage of category three urgency patients operated on within 30 days fell from 96 per cent to 94 per cent. The hospital’s target was 97 per cent. 

There were 48,070 emergency department presentations, 71 per cent of whom were seen within the recommended time frame. Nine per cent of patients stayed in the department for 24 hours or more.

About 78 per cent of emergency department patients were transferred, discharged or admitted to hospital within four hours, just shy of the hospital’s goal of 81 per cent. 

There were 41,848 people admitted to the hospital in the 2014/15 financial year. 

The hospital’s annual report shows demand for the health care provider’s services is growing. There were 10,858 ambulance arrivals to the emergency department, and 11,696 operations performed across the group.

Bendigo Health slashed its environmental footprint, with energy usage down 5.4 per cent since 2012/13. In the past year, energy usage fell by 2.9 per cent.

The service cut its carbon emissions from 8.9 per cent over two years, primarily as a result of its reduced electricity consumption. Water usage was cut by 9.8 per cent since 2012/13 and 4 per cent in the past 12 months. 

The services did not meet its target of 75 per cent of its health workers immunised against the flu.