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PDF printable version of Guaranteed Elective Surgery Waiting Times (PDF 22 KB)

Joint Release

Prime Minister

Minister for Health

12 April 2010

The Rudd Government will guarantee elective surgery waiting times and set a national target that 95 per cent of Australians receive elective surgery within clinically recommended times.

To help hospitals reach these goals, the Government will provide $650 million, or the equivalent of around 90,000 extra elective surgeries across Australia.

The Rudd Government will introduce:

• A National Access Guarantee for Elective Surgery under which free treatment in public or private hospitals will be rapidly provided if patients wait longer than the clinically recommended time for elective surgery.
• A national target for elective surgery, aimed at ensuring that 95 per cent of patients waiting for elective surgery are treated within the clinically recommended time by 2014, up from the current level of 84 per cent.

This new target and guarantee, and the funding to deliver them, are contingent upon establishment of the new National Health and Hospitals Network.

This is the first time any Government has delivered a guarantee that patients will receive surgery within a specific time and proposed such stringent targets to improve our elective surgery performance.

The Government’s investment will provide:

• $300 million as upfront payments in 2010-11 to help clear the backlog of elective surgery patients.
• $350 million as reward payments to states that meet or beat their target.

Too many Australians are still waiting too long for elective surgery.

In 2007-08, 16 per cent of patients, or almost 90,000 people, waited longer than the clinically recommended time for their elective surgery.

Around 3 per cent - or 17,000 people nationally - waited longer than a year before receiving their surgery.

The Rudd Government is determined to end these long waits and improve access to elective surgery for all Australians, no matter where they live.

The new National Access Guarantee will ensure that patients who have waited longer than appropriate will be fast-tracked to ensure that they do not wait significantly longer than the clinically recommended time.

The most urgent category of patients will be treated within 5 days of the clinically recommended time, moderate category patients within 15 days, and less urgent category patients within 45 days.

States will be required to identify when patients are not being treated on time, and work with patients and Local Hospital Networks to get surgery offered to these patients.

These fast-tracked surgeries could be provided in public or private hospitals, to ensure that patients get the best out of the entire hospital system.

Local Hospital Networks will be required to work with other Networks and private hospitals to ensure that these fast-tracked surgeries take place under agreed planning arrangements.

The new National Access Targets will help ensure that 95 per cent of patients waiting for elective surgery will be treated within the clinically recommended time by 2014.

The Government will work closely with clinicians and the states and territories so that appropriate clinical standards are enforced to maintain the quality of care.

This builds on the Government’s earlier Elective Surgery Waiting List Plan which has delivered more than 62,000 additional elective surgeries since it began in 2008. It also provided $150 million for more than 120 hospitals to expand their elective surgery capacity. A further $300 million in performance payments are currently being rolled out.

Press Office (02) 6277 7744
Minister Roxon’s Office (02) 6277 7220