Northern NSW Local Health District

08/06/2026

Influenza is serious, but it isn’t as scary if you’re vaccinated.

Protect yourself and others from influenza.

Your yearly flu vaccine offers you the best protection from serious illness and is available from your GP or pharmacy.

Getting a flu vaccine is quick, easy and recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over.

Everyone aged 2 years and over can get a flu vaccine at a pharmacy.

Book your flu vaccine at your GP or pharmacy today: www.healthdirect.gov.au/nswfluvaccine.

05/06/2026

In hospital? You’re an important part of your care team. Speak up, ask questions, and let us know if you’re concerned about something. Find out more about your care team, interpreters, social workers and other people who can support you during your stay: www.health.nsw.gov.au/planyourstay

04/06/2026

Across NSW, separating food waste at home is already part of everyday life. We’re now embedding that approach into our biggest hospitals. 🌿

From 1 July, some of our largest sites will start separating food from general waste.

It means leftovers and kitchen scraps won’t go to landfill, where they create methane. Instead, they’ll be sent to local resource recovery centres, where they can be turned into compost or energy. 🌍

Across Northern NSW, this shift could keep up to 197 tonnes of food waste out of landfill every year.

Our teams have been working quietly behind the scenes to make it work.

“Daily, up to 12 kg of food waste from patient meals alone will be diverted,” says Muin, Ballina District Hospital’s Food and Patient Support Services Manager.

Pictured is Alys, our Waste and Circular Economy Project Manager, in her organic veggie garden.

Alys says this initiative is a key step forward for sustainability in healthcare. 🌱

Read more on our website: https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/news/cutting-waste-supporting-healthier-communities.

For more stories like this, subscribe to our Northern Exposure e-newsletter: http://bit.ly/3oMXGBN.

04/06/2026

Understanding your options and reaching out to maternity care early empowers you to make informed choices and supports a healthier pregnancy.

Contact details at: https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services/pregnancy-birth-and-newborn/pregnancy/choices-for-your-pregnancy-and-birth-care.

03/06/2026

💖💛🖤 Healing Ceremony ushers in new era for old Grafton Gaol

Smoke and the scent of eucalyptus leaves drifted over the old Grafton Gaol recently, as part of a moving Healing Ceremony to prepare the site for its next chapter supporting Grafton Base Hospital.

Held on 27 May during National Reconciliation Week, the ceremony brought together around 90 people, including Aboriginal Elders, community members, school students, representatives from Northern NSW Local Health District, NSW Health Infrastructure, justice organisations, and the Grafton Base Hospital Redevelopment team.

The event provided an important opportunity to acknowledge and reflect on the site’s history while supporting healing as it transitions into a new health precinct providing administration, training spaces and accommodation for hospital staff.

The refurbishment works form part of early works for the $263.8 million redevelopment of Grafton Base Hospital.

You can read more here: nsw.gov.au/grafton-base-hospital-redevelopment.

03/06/2026

Need instant health advice for your family? Call healthdirect on 1800 022 222, anytime, anywhere to speak to a registered nurse.

Depending on your condition, the nurse will recommend the right healthcare option for you.

They can find you a nearby GP, pharmacist or urgent care service, connect you to a doctor online or call you an ambulance if it is life threatening.

To find out more, visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/callhealthdirect.

02/06/2026

Good morning!!!

💭 Sitting on top of the clouds... You know it's going to be a good day when it starts off with a sunrise like this!

📸 Snapped by Dan, our A/EODON at Murwillumbah District Hospital, on his arrival at work yesterday.

Have a good day everyone!

02/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who has supported Our Kids charity over the past 25 years! We are so grateful for all the work they do to help ease the journey for sick children in the Northern Rivers.

And thank you to NBN Television for championing their work along the way and covering this fantastic milestone! 🙌💙🩷

The Northern Rivers community has endured more hardship than most, but through it all, locals have grown a willingness to help others through tough times and that spirit is at the heart of charity Our Kids, celebrating 25 years of helping young patients.

02/06/2026

There’s still time to recognise one of our incredible nurses or midwives for this year’s statewide Healing Heart Consumer Award. 💙

If someone comes to mind, now is the perfect time to nominate them. Nominations close 12 June.

You can find all the details in the shared post.

Last chance to nominate a deserving NSW Health nurse or midwife for the 2026 Healing Heart Consumer Award!

Sarah, the 2025 Healing Heart Consumer Award winner from Western NSW Local Health District, was nominated by a patient whose life was profoundly changed by her compassionate care in the emergency department at Bathurst Base Hospital.

Sarah’s clinical skill stood out, and her gentle communication and small acts of kindness made a real difference. The patient felt safe, respected and deeply cared for during an incredibly vulnerable moment.

Nominations close 12 June. Nominate here: www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing/enma/pages/default.aspx

02/06/2026

Influenza is serious, but it isn’t as scary if you’re vaccinated.​

Protect yourself and your unborn baby from influenza.​

The flu vaccine is safe at any stage during pregnancy, and free for pregnant women.

A flu vaccine protects the newborn baby against influenza during the first six months of life and is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over.

Book your free flu vaccine at your GP or pharmacy today: www.healthdirect.gov.au/nswfluvaccine