Sunshine Hospital’s elective surgery waiting list has shrunk by almost a third.
Western Health acting chief executive Russell Harrison has welcomed the latest performance figures, which show 1519 patients on the waiting list in the June quarter, compared to 2130 in the same quarter last year.
Mr Harrison said some extra funding from the Health Department – $5.69 million – was behind the performance improvement.
“This, combined with the development and commissioning of the fourth theatre at Williamstown Hospital, has resulted in some positive elective surgery results,” he said.
“To increase in-hours emergency surgery at Sunshine Hospital, changes were made to the plastic and orthopaedic surgery units to minimise the impact on elective surgery.”
Sunshine hospital admitted 12,997 patients in the June quarter, compared to 12,391 admissions last year.
The number of patients in the emergency department increased slightly to 4427, up from 4338 in the June 2013 quarter.
Mr Harrison said a ‘mid-west police and clinician emergency response program’, a joint program with the hospital, police and mental health providers, had helped better manage the rise in patients.
“This program assists in the diversion of appropriate mental health patients from emergency departments and enables their care to be completed in the community,” he said.
“Where possible, [it] facilitates planned admissions to inpatient mental health facilities, supporting the emergency departments.”
Ninety-three per cent of ambulance patient transfers to Sunshine Hospital occurred within 40 minutes – up from 88 per cent in the previous year and exceeding the statewide target of 90 per cent.
“The improvements showed that the reforms implemented … after the Ambulance Transfer Taskforce late last year are working,” Health Minister David Davis said. “An increase in funding this year will enable hospitals to continue their focus on elective surgery.
“The 2014-15 budget included a $190 million boost to elective surgery over four years … on top of normal hospital funding,” he said.
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