23 November 2004

Additional resources for elective surgery

This year’s record $10 billion health budget contains an additional $35 million for elective surgery procedures in public hospitals, NSW Health Minister Morris Iemma said today.

In 2004/05 the NSW Government will spend $710 million on elective surgery, that’s an increase of 8% on the $648 million spent in 2000/01.

The Minister said these additional financial resources are already flowing through to individual hospitals with Bankstown Hospital receiving an additional $666,000 for elective surgery this financial year.

Mr Iemma said this additional funding is already being used to pay for extra procedures.

In relation to Bankstown Hospital, the hospital has advised that in October it performed:

• 498 elective surgery procedures
• 64.4% were day surgery procedures
• 178 procedures required an overnight stay, that’s an average of 8.9 procedures a day requiring an overnight bed. (Based on a five day operating week)

“Every year the number of elective procedures that are performed in our hospitals as day surgery increases – that’s a result of improving medical technology that means many operations that used to require an overnight stay no longer do,” Mr Iemma said.

“I am currently developing a further series of initiatives that will see additional resources allocated to elective surgery.

This year’s budget included the following amounts for additional elective surgery across Area Health Services.

• Western Sydney - $3.0m
• Wentworth - $3.6m
• South Western Sydney - $2.0m
• Central Coast - $3.0m
• Hunter - $6.9m
• Illawarra - $2.0m
• South Eastern Sydney - $1.6m
• Northern Rivers - $4.5m
• Mid North Coast - $2.6m
• New England - $700,000
• Macquarie - $200,000
• Mid Western - $1.1m
• Far West - $50,000
• Greater Murray - $2.1m
• Southern - $660,000
• New Children's Hospital - $800,000

Mr Iemma also said that annual planning for elective surgery procedures takes into account the fact that hospitals tend to perform less surgery over the Christmas / New Year period.

“The holiday season is factored in to elective surgery planning at the start of every year,” Mr Iemma said.

“Like most people, clinical staff in hospitals like to spend time with their families over the Christmas / New Year period, not only surgeons, but other staff required to perform elective surgery, nurses, intensive care staff and allied health professionals,” Mr Iemma said.

“Hospitals also report that fewer patients wish be laid up in hospital or recuperating over the holiday season.

“A group of eminent surgeons, led by Patrick Cregan from Nepean Hospital, is also currently conducting a review of surgical services to examine ways of getting better value out of the resources currently invested in elective surgery,” Mr Iemma said.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au