Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) has achieved zero long waits for elective surgery.
This incredible achievement means there are currently no patients waiting for elective surgery outside of clinically recommended timeframes.
The latest health performance data released this week showed the health service’s commitment to providing timely, high-quality care for patients.
In the June 2024 quarter, 1,396 elective surgery patients were treated across the region, an increase of more than 34 per cent compared to June 2023 quarter.
This significant achievement was key to the WBHHS clearing its long wait list.
There was also an increase of 22.9 percentage points in the rate of elective surgery patients treated within clinically recommended times during the same period.
Statewide, Queensland hospitals set a new record for the most elective surgeries performed in a June quarter, with hardworking frontline workers delivering almost 38,000 elective surgeries between April and June.
There are 77 new frontline health staff that have joined the WBHHS workforce through the government’s Workforce Attraction Incentive Scheme, including the surgical and anaesthetic staff needed to boost surgical capacity.
This has been a significant contributing factor to the health service’s ability to perform more surgeries, as well as the work undertaken in-house to develop new methods for prioritising trauma lists, reducing cancellations and improving access to operating theatres.
Partnerships with local private hospitals have also been a crucial element in this great result.
Together these initiatives have seen the health service complete over 8,000 elective surgeries in the last financial year, almost 1,000 more than the previous year.
The elective surgery and specialist outpatient performance results follow the recent June 2024 quarter emergency department (ED) data released last month which showed over 33,200 presentations at Wide Bay EDs.
WBHHS Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said reaching zero long waits for elective surgery was a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire team.
“Our success in eliminating long waits for elective surgeries is a direct result of strategic planning, efficient resource management, and the relentless focus on patient-centred care,” she said.
“Reaching zero long waits for elective surgery is not just a number; it reflects our commitment to providing timely and quality care to our patients.
“It’s a significant achievement that we aim to sustain and build upon.”
WBHHS Chief Operating Officer Ben Ross-Edwards said elective surgery patients receiving on-schedule surgery can have improved health and a faster return to normal activities.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to streamline processes to be more adaptive, optimise our surgery schedules, and ensure that we have the resources in place to meet the demand,” he said.
“While we celebrate this achievement, we recognise that there are still many patients awaiting their surgeries.
“We are dedicated to ensuring these patients receive their treatments within the clinically recommended times, continuing our mission to deliver outstanding healthcare.”
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Bulldust. My partner is 6 mths past time already