Wait times for some consultations cut dramatically but others are continuing to grow in an alarming rate

It may still be more than five years to see some public hospital specialists for a consultation, but the good news is some specialties have carved up to 37 months off the wait time.

New data shows some dramatic falls in waiting times to see a public hospital specialist for a consultation, although in some cases it is still years.

Overall maximum waiting times for outpatient appointments increased slightly across metropolitan hospitals since the previous quarter, which officials blame on increased overall hospital activity.

There are now 11 specialities at various hospitals with wait times of five years or more, compared to four last quarter. These include for orthopaedics, gastroenterology, neurology and ENT although the wait times can vary considerably between different hospitals.

The longest wait is now for a general surgery consultation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital of 68 months which compares to waits of longer than 16 years for various specialties in 2018.

Patients who have a consultation and are told they need elective surgery are then put on a separate waiting list which at present has more than 20,000 people in the queue for surgery including 4154 listed as overdue.

South Australian Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

The specialist outpatient waiting time quarterly report, released today, shows 42 speciality outpatient services at SA metropolitan hospitals have cut overall maximum waiting times of between two weeks to 37.5 months, compared with the last quarterly report.

The best improvement in maximum waiting times was a reduction of 38 months by the neurosurgery outpatient service at the Flinders Medical Centre, dropping from 44 months to six.

This was followed by ear, nose and throat outpatient service at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (from 46 months to 33 months), and ophthalmology at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (from 47 months to 38 months).

The report has been published online each quarter for more than five years and includes both the median and maximum wait time by speciality and hospital for all metropolitan hospitals. This update has been prepared using data as of the census date September 30, 2023.

Improved booking processes, new models of care, and adoption of digital booking systems are expected to aid improvements over the next quarter.

In June 2023, SA Health launched standardised Clinical Prioritisation Criteria which provide clinical information and guidance about essential referral criteria for common conditions in 13 specialty services.

This initiative is helping to reduce waiting lists by minimising unnecessary appointments and ensuring patients are ready for care on their first appointment, with the number of specialties available expanding as work continues in partnership with specialist clinicians and GPs.

Acting chief medical officer, chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said: “While improvements have been made, we know there is still more to do, especially as our hospitals respond to the urgent care needs of the community.

“We’re continuing to ensure South Australians can access the healthcare they need as soon as possible,” she said.

“Our hospitals will continue to improve patient flow, alongside conducting clerical audits reviewing their outpatient speciality services to ensure they accurately reflect people still waiting for an appointment.

“As a result of these audits, significant reductions in maximum waiting times can be realised as people who have already had an appointment, or who may no longer need an appointment, are removed from lists.”