More Elective Surgeries, Doctors and Nurses – AIHW Report

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PDF printable version of More Elective Surgeries, Doctors and Nurses – AIHW Report (PDF 21 KB)

17 June 2010

The latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that hospitals have benefited from the extra funding provided by the Rudd Government as part of its work to deliver better health and better hospitals for Australian families. The report also shows a jump in the numbers of doctors and nurses working in our hospitals.

The biggest improvement is in the amount of elective surgery performed, with 38,239 more surgical admissions in 2008-09 than in the last full year of the former Government in 2006­07.

The AIHW has noted that after the Rudd Government’s targeted elective surgery investments, public elective surgery increased by 3.1 per cent, over and above the previous average increase of 1.7 per cent.

Importantly, the number of people who are waiting longer than a year for their surgery has dropped from 4.8 per cent in 2004-05 to 2.9 per cent in 2008-09. This further demonstrates the impact of the Government’s election commitment to improve elective surgery results.

This surge in surgery, and focus on treating those who have waited the longest, will have directly benefited thousands of families and elderly Australians right around the country.

There are also more doctors and more nurses than ever before working in our hospitals, with 2,200 more doctors, an 8 per cent increase from 2007-08, and 4,781 more nurses, a 4.5 per cent increase.

And, as part of our ambitious national reform agenda even more doctors and nurses are set to join them, with the Rudd Government funding an extra 1,000 new nurse training places every year, and 680 specialist training positions for doctors.

The report also notes that funding boost provided by the Rudd Government as part of its work to deliver better health and better hospitals for Australian families saw the Commonwealth’s share of hospital funding increase for the first time in 2007-08 since the beginning of the decade.

Clearly the Rudd Government’s ambitious health reform plans have started to deliver real improvements, but there is more work to be done.

The Government’s 50% increase in funding for hospitals began to flow on 1 July last year, meaning that patients in hospitals right now are benefiting from that extra support for hospitals.

The National Health and Hospitals Network will build on these improvements with more hospital beds, doctors and nurses to work in a system that will have strong national standards of care, shorter waiting times, and a secure future funding base.

Australians deserve better health and better hospitals and we are determined to continue our work to deliver that.

For all media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220