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NSW elective surgery waitlist doubles in three months
By Cindy Yin
The number of people overdue for elective surgery had already doubled in the three months before hundreds of operations were cancelled amid an ongoing wage battle between the government and the state’s nurses and midwives.
There were 3991 people waiting longer than recommended on NSW’s surgical lists in September, new data from NSW Health shows, more than double the 1859 people overdue in June.
The Herald can also reveal how a months-long industrial dispute between the state government and the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association has affected elective surgery services. There have been 1650 surgeries cancelled as a direct result of three strikes since September, leading to 500, 450, and 700 cancellations respectively.
The waitlist, which is still a small fraction of what it was when surgeries were paused during the pandemic, has been blamed for the impact of winter viruses on NSW public hospitals.
Health Minister Ryan Park said that while all emergency surgery had continued during the recent industrial action, elective surgeries were postponed “for many people” on days affected by strike action.
“This was obviously very disappointing for those people, and it also had a knock-on impact for others due to receive a planned surgery,” he said.
Data from June shows knee and hip replacements, cataract surgery and tonsil removals are the surgeries for which most NSW patients wait longer than recommended.
The NSW governmenton Sunday is announcing a $200 million funding boost to reduce overdue surgeries, which will keep operating theatres open for longer hours.
The funding includes $18.6 million to fast-track planned surgeries by opening additional theatre lists at hospitals on evenings and weekends, and to roster additional staff in operating theatres.
The remaining $186.4 million will be used to increase hospital capacity to ensure planned surgeries can be delivered on time, including additional funds for staff, treatment spaces and hospital activity.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the impact of waitlists was unfortunate.Credit: Kate Geraghty
“We are determined to ensure everyone who needs surgery in NSW gets it as quickly as possible,” Park said. “This investment will help address this setback and ensure we are continuing to see everyone as quickly as we can.”
NSW Health deputy secretary Adjunct Professor Matthew Daly said people who felt their conditions worsening while on an elective surgery waitlist should contact their doctor for a clinical review, which might place them in a higher urgency category.
“We know it is very frustrating for people when a procedure is postponed or they wait longer than they expect to for a planned surgery,” he said.
“Our staff are working incredibly hard, and we thank the community for their patience as we work to perform all procedures safely and as soon as possible.”
The nurses and midwives union is pushing for a 15 per cent single-year pay rise and it has rejected the government’s offer to spread the 15 per cent over three years. Negotiations are ongoing.
NSW Police salaries will increase by up to 39.4 per cent over four years in a deal between the state government and their union.
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