NSW has achieved a five-year record in the number of elective surgeries performed in any first quarter, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly report.
Deputy Secretary of NSW Health, Susan Pearce said the number of elective surgical procedures performed in public hospitals increased by 7,065 (13.9 per cent) to 58,044 in the January to March 2021 quarter, compared with the same quarter in 2020.
“The system has remained focused on fast-tracking surgeries which were unavoidably delayed following the National Cabinet decision to suspend all non-urgent and most semi-urgent surgery in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ms Pearce said.
“Our public hospitals recorded the highest number of elective surgeries performed for any first quarter over the past five years – this is an extraordinary result and reflects the tremendous efforts of our staff to ensure people receive their elective surgeries on time,” she said.
“Almost all (99.6 per cent) urgent elective surgical procedures were performed on time and we continue to ensure that those who need surgery most receive it quickly.”
Ms Pearce said it was important to note the BHI report didn’t include unplanned emergency surgery, which was a major component of the provision of surgical services and were often more complex and surgically challenging than other elective surgical procedures.
She said people who received emergency surgery weren’t included on the elective surgery wait list, which was down to 88,908 at the end of March from 90,456 at the end of December.
“Though we still have work to do, it is positive that the number of people waiting for their elective procedures has been reduced again,” she said.
Ms Pearce said triage category two (emergency) presentations were up 5,808 (6.2 per cent) to 99,816 between January and March, and the median time to treatment for patients in the category was nine minutes, unchanged from the same quarter in 2020 and within the 10-minute target.
She said triage category five (non-urgent) presentations were down 9,678 (10.8 per cent) to 80,229, compared with January to March 2020.
“This drop was mainly due to the subsequent establishment of dedicated COVID-19 testing clinics across the state, reducing testing within emergency departments,” Ms Pearce said.
The Bureau’s 54-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
