Surgical staff at Grampians Health's Ballarat Base Hospital aim to have the number of people waiting for elective surgery back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.
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After two years of pandemic disruptions, staff furloughs and the statewide Code Brown putting a halt to some surgeries the number of patients on the elective surgery waiting list surged 21 per cent in the 12 months to December 31, 2021, when there were 1511 patients waiting for surgery.
"Grampians Health's Ballarat Base Hospital is working towards full capacity for all surgery, noting that staff availability is an ongoing challenge. We are aiming to return to pre-pandemic waitlist numbers by the end of the year," said executive director acute operations Ben Kelly.
"The elective surgery waitlist numbers change on a daily basis according to patients being referred to the waitlist, people being made ready for care, procedures being done and other factors. Grampians Health's Ballarat Base Hospital waitlist numbers are reported to the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) quarterly."
The pledge comes days after the state government announced a $1.5 billion COVID catch-up plan to boost Victoria's elective surgery capacity by a quarter, with an extra 40,000 procedures expected next year.
According to the latest VAHI report, on December 31 there were 58 category one patients on the Grampians Health - Ballarat list needing surgery within 30 days - down from 71 recorded at September 30 and seven higher than the same time in 2020.
In category two, where patients should receive surgery within 90 days, there were 823 patients waiting for surgery at December 31, up 26 per cent on the number listed just three months previously and 105 more cases compared to December 31, 2020.
For category three patients requiring surgery within 12 months there were 630 on the Ballarat waiting list at December 31, the result of a steady increase of 33 per cent from the same date in 2020 when there were 473 on the list.
Across Victoria, $475 million will ensure additional same-day surgeries, more twilight and after-hours work and theatre improvements and another $548 million will help get more public patients into private hospitals, with an extra 51,300 of them to receive elective surgery by June 2024.
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Eight additional Rapid Access Hubs will be created at Melbourne public hospitals and in one regional centre for day surgeries, including hernia repairs, cataract and joint replacements.
More than 1000 nurses, theatre and sterilisation technicians will be upskilled, 400 perioperative nurses trained and 2000 skilled healthcare workers recruited from overseas.
Another $20 million will go towards upgrading surgical equipment and diagnostic machines.
"We know that COVID, twice, has hit elective surgeries hard," Acting Premier James Merlino said. "This plan will see record numbers of Victorians get the surgeries they need, while making sure our frontline workforce is supported."
- with AAP
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