ID :
17771
Tue, 09/02/2008 - 17:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/17771
The shortlink copeid
Govt fiddling with surgery lists: Libs
(AAP) The NSW government has been accused of fiddling with surgery waiting lists to present a falsely healthy picture of its hospital system.
Health Minister Reba Meagher trumpeted the latest public hospital performance data
on Tuesday, saying "hospitals are performing better than ever before".
However, doctors say the embattled NSW hospital system is in crisis with hospital
occupancy rates above the 85 per cent "danger" point.
Tuesday's report showed four out of five triage response times met national
guidelines and injured people were spending less time waiting outside hospitals in
ambulances.
But it was a massive cut in the elective surgery waiting list - from 10,000 people
in 2005 to just 41 in June this year - which drew opposition claims of fudged
figures.
"The report card is in and NSW hospitals are performing better than ever," Ms
Meagher told reporters at Royal North Shore Hospital.
"Our long waits, 12 months or longer, are down to 41. Compare that to January 2005
when there were 10,000 people waiting longer than the 12-month recommended time
frame."
However, Ms Meagher admitted there had been a change in the way waiting lists were
compiled.
She said a "not-ready-for-care list" was in place "for those people who are not
prepared to have their surgery in the time frame that's recommended for them".
She said reasons people gave for not being able to have elective surgery when
allotted included going on holidays.
"The doctors and nurses in the health system can't and shouldn't be held accountable
for that," Ms Meagher said.
"As long as the offer has been made - the patient makes that decision."
The opposition said a leaked letter showed doctors were also told to take patients
off waiting lists if there was no chance they would be treated in a "clinically
appropriate time".
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell accused Ms Meagher of pulling statistics from a
"parallel universe".
"What we know from doctors and patients alike is there are now two sets of figures,"
Mr O'Farrell said.
"There's the official waiting list and the official list of people who want to be on
the waiting list.
"If Ms Meagher believes this report gives the health system a tick, she is again not
up to the job."
The report shows the number of elective surgeries performed up to June this year was
199,297 - down 1,804 on the same period last year.
The number of people who went to NSW emergency departments in June was 159,624 - an
increase of 4.5 per cent compared with the same month last year.
Year-to-date emergency department attendances were also up 4.5 per cent.
The state branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said NSW hospital
occupancy rates remained above the "danger" point of 85 per cent.
"The public hospital system is still in crisis, with NSW teaching hospitals commonly
operating on bed occupancy rates of 95 per cent," AMA NSW president Dr Brian Morton
said.
"Doctors and nurses are working in appalling conditions. They are feeling
undervalued, overworked and exhausted."
Health Minister Reba Meagher trumpeted the latest public hospital performance data
on Tuesday, saying "hospitals are performing better than ever before".
However, doctors say the embattled NSW hospital system is in crisis with hospital
occupancy rates above the 85 per cent "danger" point.
Tuesday's report showed four out of five triage response times met national
guidelines and injured people were spending less time waiting outside hospitals in
ambulances.
But it was a massive cut in the elective surgery waiting list - from 10,000 people
in 2005 to just 41 in June this year - which drew opposition claims of fudged
figures.
"The report card is in and NSW hospitals are performing better than ever," Ms
Meagher told reporters at Royal North Shore Hospital.
"Our long waits, 12 months or longer, are down to 41. Compare that to January 2005
when there were 10,000 people waiting longer than the 12-month recommended time
frame."
However, Ms Meagher admitted there had been a change in the way waiting lists were
compiled.
She said a "not-ready-for-care list" was in place "for those people who are not
prepared to have their surgery in the time frame that's recommended for them".
She said reasons people gave for not being able to have elective surgery when
allotted included going on holidays.
"The doctors and nurses in the health system can't and shouldn't be held accountable
for that," Ms Meagher said.
"As long as the offer has been made - the patient makes that decision."
The opposition said a leaked letter showed doctors were also told to take patients
off waiting lists if there was no chance they would be treated in a "clinically
appropriate time".
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell accused Ms Meagher of pulling statistics from a
"parallel universe".
"What we know from doctors and patients alike is there are now two sets of figures,"
Mr O'Farrell said.
"There's the official waiting list and the official list of people who want to be on
the waiting list.
"If Ms Meagher believes this report gives the health system a tick, she is again not
up to the job."
The report shows the number of elective surgeries performed up to June this year was
199,297 - down 1,804 on the same period last year.
The number of people who went to NSW emergency departments in June was 159,624 - an
increase of 4.5 per cent compared with the same month last year.
Year-to-date emergency department attendances were also up 4.5 per cent.
The state branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said NSW hospital
occupancy rates remained above the "danger" point of 85 per cent.
"The public hospital system is still in crisis, with NSW teaching hospitals commonly
operating on bed occupancy rates of 95 per cent," AMA NSW president Dr Brian Morton
said.
"Doctors and nurses are working in appalling conditions. They are feeling
undervalued, overworked and exhausted."
