The October to December 2014 report of the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) reports that 95 per cent of people in three of four patient categories had to wait up to 36 minutes more for necessary attention as compared with the same period in 2013.

In the urgent category, in which patients might have been losing blood or dehydrating, 95 per cent of 2542 patients were treated after 84 minutes, five minutes later than in the same period last year.

The BHI report contrasts the figures against NSW's current 100-minute wait.

In the semi-urgent category, for people with the likes of sprained ankles and earache, 95 per cent of 2778 patients waited 133 minutes compared with 113 minutes last year and NSW's 136 minutes.

All but 5 per cent of 492 patients with minor complaints such as cuts and abrasions in the department's non-urgent category were seen in 117 minutes, contrasting with 81 minutes in 2013 but still well below NSW's 133 minutes.

Dubbo Hospital's emergency department excelled in the emergency category, in which 799 people presented with life-threatening symptoms such as chest pain and severe burns.

The latest BHI report reveals 95 per cent of them waited 25 minutes for treatment, a seven-minute improvement on 2013 and 11 minutes better than the 36-minute wait in NSW.

The emergency department also dramatically boosted the number of its patients able to go home within four hours.

In October to December 2013, 59 per cent of 6969 patients left within the timeframe.

In the same three months of 2014, 72 per cent of 7359 patients did likewise.

The performance warranted mention in a statement released by NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner in which she praised hospital staff across the state.

"This latest BHI report shows we have had the largest number of patient presentations to emergency departments and the highest ever recorded four-hour benchmark result at 73 per cent," she said.

The report also showed that most of the people in two elective surgery categories at Dubbo Hospital were finding themselves on the operating table faster.

Ninety per cent of 221 patients in the semi-urgent category received surgery after 77 days, down from 96 days in 2013 and eight days ahead of its peer hospitals.

In the non-urgent category of 340 patients, 90 per cent waited 359 days, compared with 361 in 2013 and the peer group's 362.

Patients waited longer in the urgent category .

Operations for 90 per cent of 120 patients took place after 25 days of waiting, up from 22 days in 2013 but a day shorter than the present 26 day-wait at peer facilities.

Dubbo Hospital managed again to get 100 per cent of patients in the urgent category through surgery within a recommended 30 days.

In the two other elective surgery categories, the hospital lifted its performance.

The report shows that 98 per cent of patients in the semi-urgent category were operated on within the clinically recommended 90 days, up from 86 per cent last year.

In the non-urgent category, 97 per cent of patients were in surgery within the recommended 365 days, compared with 93 per cent in 2013.