❓ Hon Martin Pritchard questions the Minister for Health regarding the removal of patients from elective surgery waitlists due to contact response times and the appeal mechanisms available. The Minister's response clarifies the policy and appeal options.
AnsweredQoN 777Legislative Council
Asked
23 August 2016
Member
Portfolio
minister representing the Minister for Health
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTIVE SURGERY WAITLIST
777. Hon MARTIN PRITCHARD to the minister
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the June elective surgery
waitlist report and patients removed from the waitlist.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that patients have five days to respond to departmental
contact attempts, and that if they fail to respond within that time, they are
removed from the list?
(2) What appeal
mechanisms are in place for people who have been unfairly removed from the
waitlist?
(3) If an appeal
is successful, is the patient restored to their original position on the
waitlist; and; if not, why not?
777. Hon MARTIN PRITCHARD to the minister
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the June elective surgery
waitlist report and patients removed from the waitlist.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that patients have five days to respond to departmental
contact attempts, and that if they fail to respond within that time, they are
removed from the list?
(2) What appeal
mechanisms are in place for people who have been unfairly removed from the
waitlist?
(3) If an appeal
is successful, is the patient restored to their original position on the
waitlist; and; if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of the question.
(1) The elective
surgery access and waiting list management policy states —
Patients who are not contactable by
the hospital must be removed from the ESWL provided the hospital has made
reasonable attempts to contact the patient.
In practice, hospitals typically make
more than one attempt and allow a two to three-week response time. However, the
time period specified in communications with patients may be shorter to
encourage a timely response.
(2)–(3) Letters
advising patients of their removal from waiting lists typically include the
contact details of the elective surgery waitlist team or equivalent. Waitlist
staff are able to reinstate patients on the waiting list without re-setting
their total wait time when there is justification to do so. When a patient
wishes to escalate this further, options include contacting the hospital
patient liaison service or using the complaints form on the WA Health website.
of the question.
(1) The elective
surgery access and waiting list management policy states —
Patients who are not contactable by
the hospital must be removed from the ESWL provided the hospital has made
reasonable attempts to contact the patient.
In practice, hospitals typically make
more than one attempt and allow a two to three-week response time. However, the
time period specified in communications with patients may be shorter to
encourage a timely response.
(2)–(3) Letters
advising patients of their removal from waiting lists typically include the
contact details of the elective surgery waitlist team or equivalent. Waitlist
staff are able to reinstate patients on the waiting list without re-setting
their total wait time when there is justification to do so. When a patient
wishes to escalate this further, options include contacting the hospital
patient liaison service or using the complaints form on the WA Health website.
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