‘Huge problem’: Warning of empty wards and suffering Aussies due to elective surgery ban

Almost 10,000 Australians in one state alone are suffering because of a ban imposed in its hospitals, a leading expert has warned.

Operating rooms and hospital wards are sitting empty, specialised health care workers are basically on leave and thousands of Aussies are missing out on crucial surgeries, a leading medical body has warned.

As the current Omicron wave forces authorities to make tough decisions and the healthcare system is put under significant pressure, all states apart from Western Australia have put limits on elective surgery. In Victoria, there is now a “blanket ban” in place on elective surgeries.

However, some medical figures are calling the move a “blunt tool” that was leaving people in long-term pain and medical staff under-utilised.

Victorian chairman of Australian Orthopaedic Association, Adrian Trivett, said the term “elective surgery” was not a good description of the operations that have been put on hold. “These are essential procedures. They are non-urgent but essential procedures to help patients who are disabled and in pain return to their normal life,” he told Today.

Paramedics head out on another job from the Royal Melbourne Hospital as Victoria declares a Code Brown alert for the public health care system. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

The national definition for elective surgery is “care that, in the opinion of the treating

clinician, is necessary and admission for which can be delayed for at least 24 hours”. It includes procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafts, joint replacements and cataract surgery.

The definition is essentially a way to differentiate it from emergency surgery that needs to be done within 24 hours.

But in Victoria, the government is resisting returning all procedures, which it says is due to the sustained pressure on hospitals.

Mr Trivett said there was a “huge crisis” in the health system, but that it could be better managed without having to ban all elective surgery.

“We’re worried that there is capacity in the system and it’s not being used at the moment,” he said. “And thousands of patients are missing out on the procedures that they really need to be able to restore their function and help them with pain and suffering that has been mounting

over the last two years.”

As part of the Victorian government’s “Code Brown” measures, there is a shift of nursing resources to help with the pandemic.

However, Mr Trivett said the reality on the ground was “really difficult”.

“It sounds good in theory. But the reality is that smaller hospitals and medium-sized hospitals have very specialised teams,” he said.

“Theatre nurses, operating rooms that are lying empty at the moment.

“We recognise the fact that there is a huge problem. But really we think a more nuanced, sophisticated approach [is needed] to how we manage the growing load of elective surgery or essential surgery patients that need to be operated on.

“We think there’s almost 10,000 patients that missed out on crucial hip and knee replacement surgery last year because of the harsh lockdowns in elective surgery.”

Covid cases appear to be dropping in Victoria. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Matray

He said staff are currently available, but they are not being redeployed efficiently to other segments of the health system.

“We think that with many parts of hospitals with lights off and operating rooms shut and nurses not being used efficiently, we think that we can really have more sophistication in flexing up the service and making sure that these patients aren’t missing out,” he said.

“A blanket ban on elective surgery just doesn’t cut it.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said there was more to consider than the request from some parts of the medical community.

“As soon as we can come out from the Code Brown, as soon as we feel that it is safe and that we have significant capacity to resume services, that is exactly what we will do,” Mr Andrews said on Sunday.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie

“With the greatest respect to the surgical community, they do one part of the work, they have got to be supported by teams of people.

“It is very rare that there would be a surgeon providing care to a patient. Even a day procedure, there are other members of the team and those other members are in very high need at the moment.

“We are employing all sorts of people in different ways. But we have significant pressure in the system.”

Originally published as ‘Huge problem’: Warning of empty wards and suffering Aussies due to elective surgery ban