Mr WARREN - 2007-06-21
During the April sittings, you gave a commitment that the Department of Health and Community Services would reduce elective surgery waiting lists. Have you anything to report to the House on this important issue?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the member for Goyder. Since becoming Minister for Health, one of the major priorities for me is to reduce elective surgery waiting times, particularly for those who have been in the overdue category. I announced in April this year that there would be a concerted campaign to reduce elective surgery waiting times, particularly in the overdue group in the Territory.
Considerable resources of approximately $1.5m have been put into this. There have been a number of strategies that have been used - opening up extra operating theatres in Alice Springs, for instance. Also included is a cooperative working relationship with Darwin Private Hospital where they have provided beds both on weekdays and weekends. We have also given more support to our regional hospitals, with specialist visits to Katherine, Gove and Tennant Creek to support the reduction of elective surgery waiting times for overdue patients.
I need to make mention of the Fred Hollows Foundation, which is a great organisation based, of course, on the fantastic work done by Fred Hollows. They have been supporting an Eye Blitz, as they call it, in Central Australia, and there has been a very cooperative working relationship on that.
People have waited too long. We have recruited two additional surgeons to Royal Darwin Hospital: a trauma surgeon and vascular surgeon. This has been very good, but I should outline that elective surgery and waiting times is a complex issue. There are three categories for elective surgery. Category 1 is recommended admission for surgery within 30 days; Category 2, recommended admission within 90 days; and Category 3, recommended admission within one year.
The Territory has been no different in terms waiting times for elective surgery from other states and territories. However, what is different is that our hospitals are amongst the busiest in Australia. On 31 March this year, there were a total of 3143 patients on the waiting list. I am speaking generally. Of those, 1612 were overdue for their surgery. This is the group that we targeted in our elective surgery initiative. I am pleased to report that over the past two months, we have reduced the number of people in the target group by 50%, or 801 people. That is an achievement. These were the people, when the initiatives were announced, who were overdue on the waiting list. All people who were overdue were contacted and offered the option of surgery. Some 348 people who accepted the offer have now had their surgery. For a variety of reasons, another 453 people in the target group no longer required surgery.
Understandably, elective surgery lists are not static; they fluctuate. By the end of May 2007, there has been an overall reduction of 14% in the total number on the overdue list. There was a 50% reduction then more people came on the list, but there was a nett reduction of 14%. Our target over the whole of the initiative is 20% and I am very hopeful that we will meet that target. This has been achieved while normal activity has occurred in the hospital, so we have given priority to those who waited for longest on the surgery list.
Earlier today, I made a public announcement about this at Royal Darwin Hospital. I was there with surgeon, Mr David Read, who said we are only part of the way through this project. Already, the vast number of surgeons noticed a reduction in their own waiting lists of between 10% and 50%. The other thing that Mr Read said was that the number of cancellations because of beds not being available in Royal Darwin Hospital this year compared to the same time last year has really plummeted. That is due to the partnership we have with Darwin Private Hospital. Mr Read also said over half the patients on the waiting list from urgent to non-urgent cases who might be considered overdue have been operated on and are now able to continue a good quality of life. The project has ensured efficiency and that surgeons are gaining valuable theatre experience.
Madam Speaker, I believe Mr Read has summed it all up. This is a government that cares about people. This is a government that is focused on health. I am a minister who has targets, and I am very hopeful over the next few months of making some very positive future announcements about initiatives in health.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the member for Goyder. Since becoming Minister for Health, one of the major priorities for me is to reduce elective surgery waiting times, particularly for those who have been in the overdue category. I announced in April this year that there would be a concerted campaign to reduce elective surgery waiting times, particularly in the overdue group in the Territory.
Considerable resources of approximately $1.5m have been put into this. There have been a number of strategies that have been used - opening up extra operating theatres in Alice Springs, for instance. Also included is a cooperative working relationship with Darwin Private Hospital where they have provided beds both on weekdays and weekends. We have also given more support to our regional hospitals, with specialist visits to Katherine, Gove and Tennant Creek to support the reduction of elective surgery waiting times for overdue patients.
I need to make mention of the Fred Hollows Foundation, which is a great organisation based, of course, on the fantastic work done by Fred Hollows. They have been supporting an Eye Blitz, as they call it, in Central Australia, and there has been a very cooperative working relationship on that.
People have waited too long. We have recruited two additional surgeons to Royal Darwin Hospital: a trauma surgeon and vascular surgeon. This has been very good, but I should outline that elective surgery and waiting times is a complex issue. There are three categories for elective surgery. Category 1 is recommended admission for surgery within 30 days; Category 2, recommended admission within 90 days; and Category 3, recommended admission within one year.
The Territory has been no different in terms waiting times for elective surgery from other states and territories. However, what is different is that our hospitals are amongst the busiest in Australia. On 31 March this year, there were a total of 3143 patients on the waiting list. I am speaking generally. Of those, 1612 were overdue for their surgery. This is the group that we targeted in our elective surgery initiative. I am pleased to report that over the past two months, we have reduced the number of people in the target group by 50%, or 801 people. That is an achievement. These were the people, when the initiatives were announced, who were overdue on the waiting list. All people who were overdue were contacted and offered the option of surgery. Some 348 people who accepted the offer have now had their surgery. For a variety of reasons, another 453 people in the target group no longer required surgery.
Understandably, elective surgery lists are not static; they fluctuate. By the end of May 2007, there has been an overall reduction of 14% in the total number on the overdue list. There was a 50% reduction then more people came on the list, but there was a nett reduction of 14%. Our target over the whole of the initiative is 20% and I am very hopeful that we will meet that target. This has been achieved while normal activity has occurred in the hospital, so we have given priority to those who waited for longest on the surgery list.
Earlier today, I made a public announcement about this at Royal Darwin Hospital. I was there with surgeon, Mr David Read, who said we are only part of the way through this project. Already, the vast number of surgeons noticed a reduction in their own waiting lists of between 10% and 50%. The other thing that Mr Read said was that the number of cancellations because of beds not being available in Royal Darwin Hospital this year compared to the same time last year has really plummeted. That is due to the partnership we have with Darwin Private Hospital. Mr Read also said over half the patients on the waiting list from urgent to non-urgent cases who might be considered overdue have been operated on and are now able to continue a good quality of life. The project has ensured efficiency and that surgeons are gaining valuable theatre experience.
Madam Speaker, I believe Mr Read has summed it all up. This is a government that cares about people. This is a government that is focused on health. I am a minister who has targets, and I am very hopeful over the next few months of making some very positive future announcements about initiatives in health.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016