Health system is on the mend

8/8/04
Ambulance diversions at Western Australia's public hospitals in the last three months are down by more than 77 per cent compared with the same period in 2003.
Elective surgery waiting lists in WA's public hospitals are the lowest ever recorded and the Health Department has delivered a balanced budget after years of deficits.
Health Minister Jim McGinty said a snapshot of the public health system revealed the State Government's strategies to improve health care services in WA were working.
Between May and July this year, Perth's major hospitals spent a total of 146 hours on ambulance diversion. In the same months last year, hospitals spent 649 hours on diversion. That meant hospitals spent 503 fewer hours on diversion between May and July this year or an average of 168 hours less per month.
There were only two triple diversions between May and July 2004, compared with 32 in the same three months last year.
Mr McGinty said the latest figures showed the range of initiatives to ease pressure in hospital emergency departments was beginning to pay dividends.
"There will always be periods of unexpected pressure and occasional human error but the signs are that emergency departments are coping very well," he said.
"We are now well into winter, which is traditionally the busiest time for emergency departments and although there is still a way to go, I am encouraged that we have been able to reduce ambulance diversions so dramatically.
"It is especially pleasing to see there were just two triple diversions in the last three months, when you consider there were more than 30 in the same period last year."
The Minister said the strategies to help hospital emergency departments cope better this winter included:

• $34.7million for St John Ambulance to purchase more ambulances and staff. A new computer system also linked the ambulance control room to emergency departments to reduce diversions and ramping;
• a $20million allocation to open 338 extra hospital beds across metropolitan hospitals. Last year, only 134 extra beds were opened;
• $22million to upgrade hospital emergency departments;
• winter illness prevention campaign, which offered free flu vaccines for people aged 65 and over. More than 216,000 people had taken up the offer, which represented 95 per cent of over 65s; and
• recruitment of 1,125 more full-time salaried nurses in public hospitals since 2001.

Mr McGinty also pointed to the success of the two after hours, bulk billing GP clinics which had been opened adjacent to Royal Perth and Fremantle hospitals.
The clinics had treated more than 600 patients each since opening on May 30, which were people who would ordinarily have been treated at hospital emergency departments.
"The after hours clinics are seeing patients with minor ailments who traditionally waited for hours in emergency departments for treatment," he said.
"Those patients are now being appropriately treated by a bulk billing GP, which in turn takes pressure off emergency department staff."
The health snapshot also revealed that at the end of July this year, there were 12,962 people waiting for elective surgery at public hospitals - the lowest figure since waiting list records were kept. In July 1999, there were almost 18,000 people on the waiting list.
The Minister said the reduction in the waiting list was largely due to the Government's $10million strategy to provide treatment for more than 3,250 patients who had been waiting for longer than 500 days for elective surgery.
"We still have a long way to go but the elective surgery waiting list is heading in the right direction and that is down," he said.
"We will continue to implement new strategies to reduce waiting times for people who need elective surgery."
Mr McGinty said he was also thrilled that the initiatives were paying off without being a drain on taxpayers.
Figures for the financial year to June 30 show the Health Department posted a modest surplus of $500,000 in a budget of $3.1billion. This is a remarkable turnaround, given the Labor Government inherited a deficit in health.
"This is an excellent financial outcome which has been achieved through responsible management and hard work by the many thousands of people working in the WA health sector," the Minister said.
"It is even more outstanding when you consider that elective surgery waiting lists are falling and our emergency departments are coping under incredible pressure."
Mr McGinty said health care services in WA would continue to improve with the implementation of sweeping reforms recommended by the Reid report under the guidance of Dr Neale Fong.
"Dr Fong has a massive task but I am confident that he will be able to implement what amounts to the most significant reform of the State's health system in an effective and fiscally responsible manner," he said.
Dr Fong took up his post on August 2.

SNAPSHOT OF THE WA HEALTH SYSTEM
(UP TO JULY 31, 2004)
Ambulance Diversions

After-hours GP Clinics - Number of patients treated

Elective Surgery Waiting List (Tertiary and Secondary Hospitals)

Health Budget

Minister's office: 9220 5000