Grafton Base Hospital expects that its surgical unit will be operating at full capacity again after work on the unit is completed by October 2021

 

Daily Telegraph, 2 August 2021:

…..General Manager Clarence Health Service Dan Madden said that on February 19, issues were detected with the steam sterilisers used in the Grafton Base Hospital surgical department.

“Staff identified the affected equipment as part of their usual checking process, rejected them for use, and ceased using the sterilising machines immediately,” he said.

“Technicians began working immediately to examine and repair the machines, including replacing some components…..

However, at the end of April, the health service confirmed the fixes were not working, and approximately 20 per cent of surgery at the hospital had been affected.

“Additional surgical instruments are being sourced to supplement the supply at GBH, and extra capacity is being added at the Lismore Base

Hospital sterilising department to provide support, but some surgical cases are being rescheduled,” NNSWLHD CEO Wayne Johns said.

“We are working with surgeons and waitlist staff to minimise delays and are taking clinical conditions into account when rescheduling cases,” he said.

In May, more community reports of cancelled operations emerged. Claims that items sent away for sterilisation were returning wet, or unclean, led the health service to reveal $1m would be spent on new equipment.

“Two new sterilisers are expected within weeks after safely clearing quarantine, with other equipment on order from Italy,” Mr Jones said

“We wish to assure the community that no affected instruments have been used in any surgical procedures.”

Acting NNSWLHD CEO Lynne Weir said that supply chain issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the arrival of necessary equipment to upgrade the existing surgical unit inside the hospital.

“These issues are now resolved and it is anticipated work on the surgical unit will be completed by October,” she said.

“Capital works will involve the removal of old equipment, reconfiguration of the internal space and replacement of equipment including a new reverse osmosis water treatment unit to mitigate against any issues with on-site water filtration systems which supply the sterilising equipment.”

How NSW Northern Rivers hospitals are coping with COVID-19 restrictions backlog of elective surgeries

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted on Australian public hospitals with regard to elective surgery and the impact played out thus......

Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health & Welfare:

In terms of elective surgery, following a decision by National Cabinet, restrictions applied to selected elective surgeries from 26 March 2020 including:

• Temporary suspensions of all urgency Category 3 procedures and selected urgency Category 2 procedures.

• No restrictions applied to Category 1 procedures and exceptional Category 2 procedures.

• Similar restrictions on elective surgery were in place through the private sector.

On 16 September 2020 The Sydney Morning Herald reported that:

NSW's elective surgery waiting list has blown out to more than 100,000 patients that will take at least six months to clear after national cabinet's moratorium on non-urgent operations triggered an unprecedented backlog.

A staggering 10,563 patients were overdue for their elective surgeries on June 30, nearly 20-times the number of overdue patients on the same day in 2019, the latest Bureau of Health Information report shows.

Operating theatres are running at up to 115 per cent their pre-COVID activity levels to get through the state's waiting list that hit 101,026 patients on June 30 – a 20 per cent jump (an additional 16,896 patients) compared to June 30 last year.

Patients needing cataract surgeries, total hip replacements, and ear, nose and throat surgeries were waiting up to 55 days beyond the clinically recommended timeframe, the report released on Wednesday showed…..

More than 10,500 people were waiting for knee or hip replacements at the end of September, according to the quarterly Bureau of Health Information report, up more than 22 per cent from the same time in 2019.

According to NSW Health Care Quarterly, Trend Report of September 2020:

July to September 2020 had the largest number of patients on the waiting list for urgent and semi-urgent procedures of any quarter over five years.

The number of patients on the waiting list for nonurgent procedures was up 30.0% (17,803) over five years, from 59,319 in July to September 2015, to 77,122 in July to September 2020. However, it decreased from its highest level in April to June 2020.

By 9 December 2020 The Sydney Morning Herald was reporting that:

Orthopaedic surgeries were not only running behind, with 27 per cent occurring later than clinically recommended, but also had larger than usual wait lists at the end of September, up 21.3 per cent for knee replacements and 25.6 per cent for hip replacements compared to 2019. Usually on-schedule eye surgeries were also hit hard.

On 19 February 2021 elective surgery wait times were again in the news:

Waiting for elective surgery can be a postcode lottery in NSW, with waits as long as 375 days at some country hospitals but just days in the city.

So how are public hospitals in the Northern NSW Local Health District faring?

Given that this health district has a significant retiree population, by way of example I looked at three elective surgeries which appear to occur with relative frequency in older people.

PUBLIC HOSPITAL ELECTIVE SURGERY MEDIAN WAITING TIMES IN NORTH-EAST NSW

Lismore Base Hospital:

Hip Replacement - the median wait was 83 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 127 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 102 days.

Total knee replacement - the median wait was 150 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 229 days by 2016-17 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 142 days.

Currently Lismore Base Hospital patients tops the state for the longest wait for knee replacement - a median 375 days - with 63 per cent of patients waiting more than a year. 

Shoulder joint replacement - the median wait was 14 days in 2016-17 and blew out to 16 days by 2018-19 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 14 days.

Ophthalmology - the median wait was 323 days in 2011-12 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 341 days, the highest median waiting time in the last nine financial years.

Between July and September 2020 a total of 1,360 unspecified elective surgery procedures were performed.

Grafton Base Hospital:

Hip replacement - the median wait was 6 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 77 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 67 days.

Total knee replacement - the median wait was 10 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 145 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 135 days.

Shoulder joint replacement - the wait was 8 days in 2016-17 and blew out to 11 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at less than 5 days.

Ophthalmology - the median wait was 285 days in 2011-12 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 326 days, the highest median waiting time in the last nine financial years.

Between July and September 2020 a total of 652 unspecified elective surgery procedures were performed.

The Tweed Hospital:

Hip Replacement - the median wait was 65 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 130 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 119 days.

Total knee replacement - the median wait was 114 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 201 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 197 days.

Shoulder joint replacement - the median wait was 24 days in 2016-17 and blew out to 28 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 22 days.

Ophthalmology - no patients listed between 2011-12 and 2019-20.

Between July and September 2020 a total of 1,084 unspecified elective surgery procedures were performed.

Murwillumbah District Hospital:

Hip Replacement - the median wait was 39 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 48 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 30 days.

Total knee replacement - the wait was 53 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 59 days by 2017-18 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 30 days.

Shoulder joint replacement - the median wait was less than 5 days in 2019-20.

Ophthalmology - the median wait was 323 days in 2011-12 and blew out to 336 days by 2014-15 and latest figures for 2019-20 stand at 128 days.

Between July and September 2020 a total of 438 unspecified elective surgery procedures were performed.

Casino & District Memorial Hospital:

Performs limited orthopaedic procedures predominately as day surgery.

Does not currently perform ophthalmology surgery.

Between July and September 2020 a total of 252 unspecified elective surgery procedures were performed.

Maclean District Hospital:

Provides a small number of elective orthopaedic list procedures once a month.

Does not currently perform ophthalmology surgery.

Between July and September 2020 no elective surgery of any type occurred.

Ballina District Hospital:

Does not currently perform orthopaedic or ophthalmology surgery.

Between July and September 2020 a total of 307 unspecified elective surgery procedures were performed.

Byron Central Hospital:

Does not currently perform orthopaedic or ophthalmology surgery.

Kyogle, Bonalbo, Nimbin and Urbenville Multi-Purpose Services:

Do not currently perform surgery.

NOTE:

All statistics were found at the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.