❓ Question regarding potential elective surgery cancellations tomorrow. The Minister avoids a direct yes/no answer, providing historical context of cancellations due to system pressures and stating the Department of Health is closely monitoring the situation.
AnsweredQoN 382Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Hospitals—Elective surgery cancellations382.Ms Sandra Brewerto
theMinister for Health:I have a supplementary
question. Will any elective surgeries be cancelled tomorrow?
theMinister for Health:I have a supplementary
question. Will any elective surgeries be cancelled tomorrow?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
21 August 2025
Response time
0 days
Ms Meredith Hammat replied:I thank the member
for the supplementary. As I said, the Department of Health is monitoring the
situation very closely and making the decisions based on what is happening as
the situation develops in our hospitals. As we would expect, it is making the
best decisions to manage the system. I reiterate that this strategy is being
used nationally. It is the first time it has been used in Western Australia
this winter, but, of course, it is not the first time it has been used in
Western Australia. We have, at a variety of times, seen similar decisions made
to make sure that we have capacity in the system. As I was relating yesterday,
in 2011, one in 10 elective surgeries was cancelled every day due to a lack of either
beds, staff or operating theatres. We saw in 2014 that more than 6,000 elective
surgeries were cancelled at the last minute.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Sandra Brewerinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, you asked the
question.Ms Meredith Hammat:I include this information to
demonstrate that this is how the hospital system responds when there are urgent
needs. As I was saying, 6,000 elective surgeries were cancelled at the last
minute in 2014 due to pressures in hospitals and cuts to funding. In 2016,
elective surgeries at Midland Public Hospital were cancelled or postponed due
to pressures at that time. As far back as 2012, patients complained of having
their elective surgeries cancelled multiple times. It is interesting to note that
at the time Premier Barnett said that people on elective surgery waitlists—Mr Basil Zempilas:Any cancellations tomorrow,
minister?Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition, the minister
can answer the way she would like to answer. Your question was: Are you going
to cancel any beds or are there going to be any cancellations tomorrow? You are
actually asking for an opinion. How is she meant to know that? You are not
meant to ask for opinions in questions, so the minister can respond how she
likes. Carry on, minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:Thank you. The Premier at the
time, on elective surgery, said they were not life-threatening conditions.
Again, I reiterate that this is context; this is how the health system
responds, as it needs to, to meet the most urgent demands in the system.Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition.Ms Meredith Hammat:The Department of Health, working
with the HSPs, is monitoring the system and the demand very closely to ensure
that we make the best decisions to ensure that Western Australians get access
to the care that they need.
Hospitals—Elective surgery cancellations
for the supplementary. As I said, the Department of Health is monitoring the
situation very closely and making the decisions based on what is happening as
the situation develops in our hospitals. As we would expect, it is making the
best decisions to manage the system. I reiterate that this strategy is being
used nationally. It is the first time it has been used in Western Australia
this winter, but, of course, it is not the first time it has been used in
Western Australia. We have, at a variety of times, seen similar decisions made
to make sure that we have capacity in the system. As I was relating yesterday,
in 2011, one in 10 elective surgeries was cancelled every day due to a lack of either
beds, staff or operating theatres. We saw in 2014 that more than 6,000 elective
surgeries were cancelled at the last minute.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Sandra Brewerinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, you asked the
question.Ms Meredith Hammat:I include this information to
demonstrate that this is how the hospital system responds when there are urgent
needs. As I was saying, 6,000 elective surgeries were cancelled at the last
minute in 2014 due to pressures in hospitals and cuts to funding. In 2016,
elective surgeries at Midland Public Hospital were cancelled or postponed due
to pressures at that time. As far back as 2012, patients complained of having
their elective surgeries cancelled multiple times. It is interesting to note that
at the time Premier Barnett said that people on elective surgery waitlists—Mr Basil Zempilas:Any cancellations tomorrow,
minister?Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition, the minister
can answer the way she would like to answer. Your question was: Are you going
to cancel any beds or are there going to be any cancellations tomorrow? You are
actually asking for an opinion. How is she meant to know that? You are not
meant to ask for opinions in questions, so the minister can respond how she
likes. Carry on, minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:Thank you. The Premier at the
time, on elective surgery, said they were not life-threatening conditions.
Again, I reiterate that this is context; this is how the health system
responds, as it needs to, to meet the most urgent demands in the system.Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition.Ms Meredith Hammat:The Department of Health, working
with the HSPs, is monitoring the system and the demand very closely to ensure
that we make the best decisions to ensure that Western Australians get access
to the care that they need.
Hospitals—Elective surgery cancellations
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