It has approximately 280 beds, and serves as the primary hospital and recognised trauma centre for the Northern New South Wales Local Health District.

Offering advanced perioperative, emergency, trauma and elective surgical services, the hospital undertakes over 8,100 procedures annually including vascular and upper gastrointestinal surgeries.

[4] Additionally, the hospital provides diagnostic and interventional cardiology through its cardiac catheter laboratory and coronary care unit, has adult, adolescent and child mental health facilities, and is home to the North Coast Cancer Institute, which provides advanced oncological and haematological support to patients.

More importantly, it freed up space in some of the old wards for conversion into an emergency department, pharmacy and outpatient clinic, which opened in 1969.

Over the following forty years the hospital continued to slowly expand as the regional population grew, acquiring more advanced rehabilitation, mental health, oncology and cardiology services.