Wait time for specialists in SA public system plummet by years, but some are still at 60 months

Waiting times to see some public hospital specialists have plunged by years as the system recovers – but some patients face an astonishingly long delay.

Wait times to see some public hospital specialists have plummeted – in some cases by years – as a concerted effort to improve services pays dividends.

Latest data from SA Health shows 56 speciality outpatient services at metropolitan hospitals reduced overall maximum waiting times by up to 33 months, compared with the previous quarter.

Royal Adelaide Hospital’s ophthalmology service showed the greatest improvement with maximum waiting times falling from 56 months to 23 months.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s dermatology department slashed its maximum wait time by almost two years – 31 months to 11 months – while RAH’s plastic and reconstructive surgery unit maximum wait times fell from 52 months to 36 months.

These appointments may result in the patient being referred for elective surgery – in which case they are put on a separate waiting list for surgery.

Wait times vary considerably between specialities and even between hospitals – for example there is a two-year wait for a neurosurgery appointment at Flinders Medical Centre but seven months at the RAH.

In 2018, wait times for various consultations were as long as 16 years.

The latest report shows many specialties with no wait but there were 25 clinics at various hospitals where the wait time was more than 50 months.

This was led by 63 months for an ear, nose and throat appointment at Lyell McEwin Hospital and 60 months for an ophthalmology consultation at Flinders Medical Centre.

In the previous quarter, several clinics had wait times in the 80 or even 90-month bracket.

SA Health chief medical officer Dr Michael Cusack said hospitals were working hard to reduce outpatient waiting times.

“We are pleased to see continued significant improvements across many speciality areas over the last quarter,” he said.

“We want to ensure all South Australians can access the healthcare they need within appropriate time frames, and there’s more to do.

“Hospitals are making change at a local level and auditing their outpatient speciality services to ensure they accurately reflect people still waiting for an appointment.”

Dr Cusack noted work was continuing with specialist clinicians and GPs on expanding standardised Clinical Prioritisation Criteria for statewide minimum referral criteria, diagnostics, and clinical urgency categories for specific conditions.

He said this would help further reduce waiting lists by ensuing patients were ready for care on their first appointment.

Data from the past 12 months shows the RAH has five of the most improved outpatient wait lists, with cardiology improving by almost five years to the current maximum wait time of 12 months.

RAH neurosurgery wait time for appointments fell from 60 months to seven months, ophthalmology from 70 months to 23 months, general surgery from 57 months to 11 months and genetics from 40 months to no wait.