Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan
About the Plan
The Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan aims to reduce the number of people waiting longer than clinically recommended for elective surgery.
What happens in each stage of the Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan?
Stage One: Elective surgery blitz
In Stage One of the Reduction Plan, $150 million in additional funding will be provided to bring about an immediate reduction in elective surgery waiting lists. This additional funding will clear approximately 25,000 procedures by the end of 2008-09.At a meeting of Health Ministers and Treasurers on 14 January 2008, Ministers agreed on the distribution of funding for Stage One. The $150 million for Stage One has been distributed between the states and territories based on need for and the cost of additional services and the capacity of states and territories to increase the volume of elective surgery.
Distribution of funding is provided in the table below:
State | Additional Procedures to be | Funding from the |
NSW | 8,743 | 43.3 |
Vic | 5,908 | 34.2 |
Qld | 4,000 | 27.6 |
WA | 2,720 | 15.4 |
SA | 2,262 | 13.6 |
Tas | 895 | 8.1 |
ACT | 250 | 2.5 |
NT | 500 | 5.3 |
National | 25,278 | 150.0 |
Stage Two: Systematic improvements
To help states and territories boost their capacity to provide elective surgery, Stage Two of the Reduction Plan will see the Commonwealth Government provide an estimated $150 million to states and territories. The funding will be used for system and infrastructure improvements, which will help to improve elective surgery performance in the long-term. This funding is being provided over four financial years starting in 2007-08.The allocation of Stage Two funding, and what it will be invested in, has been agreed between the Commonwealth and the states and territories. The distribution of Stage Two funding is provided in the table below:
State | Funding from the Commonwealth for Stage 2 ($m) | Funding will be used for: |
NSW | 50.6 | New equipment and surgical instruments for each Area Health Service and the Children's Hospital Westmead, and improved elective surgery management. |
Vic | 36.8 | Redevelopment of facilities at Royal Melbourne, Monash, Sunshine, Geelong and Frankston hospitals; purchase of equipment; and provision of innovation funding to improve elective surgery management. |
Qld | 29.4 | Expanding elective surgery capacity and commissioning additional operating theatres. |
WA | 13.3 | Capital improvements to Albany and Osborne Park hospitals. |
SA | 8.1 | Development of operating theatres at a number of hospitals, and purchase of equipment at a wide range of others. |
Tas | 3.1 | Equipment for Royal Hobart, Launceston and North West Regional hospitals. |
ACT | 6.6 | Capital works at Canberra and Calvary hospitals |
NT | 2.1 | Capital works at Royal Darwin and Alice Springs hospitals. |
National | 150 |  |
Stage Three: Performance dividends
In Stage Three, up to $300 million in dividend payments (available 2009-10, 2010-11) will be provided to reward states and territories that have dramatically increased the number of elective surgeries completed within a clinically recommended time by the end of the four year plan.Who will benefit from the plan?
All Australian public hospital patients seeking elective surgery will benefit from this plan.How are waiting times for elective surgery calculated?
Patients requiring elective surgery in a public hospital are assigned to one of three urgency categories based on their health condition and circumstances. Each category has a clinically recommended waiting time which indicates the timeframe in which a patient should receive their surgery. The three categories are:Category One - Urgent
A patient will be allocated to category one if their health condition has the potential to deteriorate quickly to the point that it may become an emergency. Recommended waiting time is no longer than 30 days.
Category Two - Semi-urgent
A patient will be allocated to category two if their health condition is causing some pain, dysfunction or disability but is unlikely to deteriorate quickly or become an emergency. Recommended waiting time is no longer than 90 days.
Category Three - Non-urgent
A patient will be allocated to category three if their health condition is causing them minimal or no pain, dysfunction or disability, is unlikely to deteriorate quickly and does not have the potential to become an emergency. Recommended waiting time is no longer than 12 months.