❓ Minister McGinty provides an update on elective surgery waitlists, reporting improvements in waiting times and list sizes due to implemented initiatives. Targets are set for further reductions.
AnsweredQoN 665Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTIVE SURGERY WAITLIST
Can the minister please update the house on improvements in the public hospital waiting lists for elective surgery? Mr J.A. McGINTY
Can the minister please update the house on improvements in the public hospital waiting lists for elective surgery? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
I will give the house some very, very good news. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I will give the house some very, very good news. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
I will give the house some very, very good news. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I will give the house some very, very good news. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
I will give the house some very, very good news. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Members opposite do not like it already! Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Waiting times for elective surgery continued to fall during August 2006 and are now the shortest they have been since this type of data has been kept. The average waiting time for August 2006 was just 3.49 months - that is, 106 days - which represents a drop of six days on the previous month of July. It is 23 days shorter than a year ago when the average waiting time was 4.24 months or 129 days. The total number of people on the elective surgery waiting list in August fell by 432 cases to 16 007. That represents a decrease of 1 150 cases since the same month last year. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I am answering that. Overall, a total of 5 180 patients underwent elective surgery procedures in August compared with 4 704 patients in the previous month of July. At the end of August, 86 per cent of category 1 patients were treated within the clinically desirable time of 30 days. That figure was up from 78 per cent the previous month. At the other end of the scale, the number of category 3 or non-urgent patients who received their surgery within the desired time is improving, with 83 per cent admitted for surgery within 365 days. The number of category 2 patients waiting for more than 90 days fell modestly, and this is an area that we need to focus far more attention on to ensure that it is improved. Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Dr K.D. Hames interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : This information was placed on the Internet this morning. The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
The new policy to ensure that this is well and truly entrenched has now been implemented for hospitals and doctors to ensure that every elective surgery patient is treated within the clinically desirable time. This will bring to an end the long waiting periods some patients have in the past endured for their elective surgery. The targets are that, from 1 July 2007, all category 2 semi-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 90 days and all category 3 non-urgent patients will receive their surgery within 365 days. Another key target to ensure that we achieve that is that the large number of people who have been waiting far too long - more than 500 days for their procedure - are guaranteed to receive their surgery by 31 December this year. Thereafter, nobody will be waiting that length of time for his or her procedure. At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
At the end of August the number of long-wait patients had fallen to 989, which is less than half the total of 1 951 patients at the same time last year. We have implemented a number of initiatives, including the ambulatory surgery initiative, to ensure that we get more patients treated quicker with elective surgery procedures. Another initiative we have taken this financial year is to establish two dedicated “surgicentres” at Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle, and Osborne Park Hospital, which will service the northern suburbs. These hospitals do not have the demands of an emergency department, which causes operations to be cancelled because of an increase in emergency pressures. I am delighted to say that work will begin on a new $600 000 procedure room at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to ensure that, in addition to the operating theatres, there will be a procedure room that will enable children to have treatment quicker. Doctors will use the procedure room to treat children undergoing endoscopies, simple ophthalmology, dental or dermatology procedures, as well as treating children with cerebral palsy who require Botox injections. The new procedure room is expected to be completed by the end of January, which will mean that operating theatres can concentrate on more complex surgery. Collectively, these initiatives should ensure an ongoing and sustainable reduction in both waiting lists and waiting times.
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