Page 3539 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 18 September 2019
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Mrs Jones: There is a lot of debate about me in this answer, but I am wondering why the numbers have blown out.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you. To that point, minister, in the time you have left.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I was just trying to point out that over the previous quarter the numbers have actually reduced. Sorry, I thought you were standing again, Mrs Jones, and making another point of order. Our health services performed more elective surgeries in 2018-19 than were targeted. Obviously, demand also increased.
Opposition members interjecting—
Ms Berry: Madam Speaker, a point of order.
MADAM SPEAKER: A point of order.
Ms Berry: Madam Speaker, the Minister for Health is doing her very best to respond.
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Wall and Mrs Dunne, you were very close to being warned yesterday. There have been a significant number of interjections while the minister was on her feet. I would ask you to stop. Is there anything else?
Ms Berry: That was my point, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Ms Berry. I call Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, why has the government strategy for reducing elective surgery waiting times overall failed to reduce elective surgery waiting times?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: As I have just mentioned, in the last quarter there was in fact a reduction in the number of people who were waiting who were clinically overdue. That is a result of a significant amount of work that is going on across the Health Directorate and within Canberra Health Services to ensure that people who are on the waiting list are the people who need to be there to ensure that people are getting the care they need as close to home as possible.
In 2018-19, our hospitals achieved the recommended 30-day treatment time for 96 per cent of the most critical category 1 patients. This was also an improvement over the year before. Treatment timeliness has improved for category 2 and 3 patients as well. But, of course, elective surgery waiting lists and demand continue to increase quite significantly. We have faced growth in elective and emergency surgery across ACT hospitals of around three per cent per year since 2013-14
This growth includes the demand from our surrounding regions. As I have mentioned before, ACT hospitals treat not only ACT residents but also the sickest people from around our surrounding regions, which means that our elective surgery waiting lists quite often contain complex patients with high needs.
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