Ballarat patients waiting for planned surgery could be sent to other Grampians Health locations in western Victoria for their operations in a bid to help slash wait times.
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The percentage of patients waiting more than a year for surgery at Grampians Health has grown significantly over the past 12 months with more than one in 20 patients on the elective/planned surgery list now waiting at least 365 days for their operation.
It has forced Grampians Health to consider being able to "load distribute" as is done in metropolitan hospitals when cases are transferred depending on hospital capacity.
"One of the reasons Grampians Health came about was to really think about our region-wide resources because we've got varying levels of capacity within our hospitals and some of our regional hospitals may have better availability," said Grampians Health chief operating officer hospitals Ben Kelly.
"It's increasingly necessary for us to make sure that patients are in the right location based on what their clinical needs are so ... yes you might need to come in to hospital but your needs might be best met in Horsham or Stawell."
Mr Kelly admitted the change required a big shift in attitude from patients and staff.
"People are used to having to go to Melbourne if they can't have their needs met in Ballarat ... in this case you would go (west) ... and that's where it becomes about attitude."
Mr Kelly said having some Ballarat patients undergo procedures elsewhere would help reduce waiting times and free up resources so patients from other Grampians Health locations could have more timely access to Ballarat if their needs could not be met at their local hospital.
It is not unlike the current situation where some Ballarat patients needing planned surgery ask what other hospitals their specialist or surgeon works at and arrange surgery at that location if there is less waiting time.
Mr Kelly emphasised patients would still get the hospital care they need, "but it might not be in the location they traditionally expect".
"It is a fundamental shift in the way in which public health services are delivered within Grampians Health," he said.
When the new seven-storey main tower of Ballarat Base Hospital is completed in 2027, it will include a state of the art theatre suite and expanded critical care floor bringing together operating theatres, procedure rooms and endoscopy suites which will offer the capacity for an extra 4000 surgeries each year.
According to the latest Victorian Agency for Health Information quarterly hospital performance data, 5.67 per cent of patients waiting for surgery at Grampians Health during the July to September quarter did so for more than 365 days, up from 3.95 per cent at the same time last year.
As of September 30 there were 1738 patients on the Grampians Health elective surgery list, a similar number at the same point in 2022.
The average overdue wait time for category two patients, who should undergo their surgery within 90 days, was 243 days at September 30, 2023, up significantly from 199 days at the same point in 2022. For category three patients, whose wait time is recommended to be no longer than 12 months, the average overdue wait time was 369 days compared to 256 days last year.
