Allan government’s promised elective surgery blitz failed to meet its target

The state government’s $1.5bn “Covid catch up plan” to fix Victoria’s health crisis after the pandemic has failed to meet its target, with thousands of Victorians still waiting for elective surgery.

The Victorian government’s $1.5bn elective surgery blitz failed to meet its target with 30,000 less surgeries carried out than promised, according to a new report by the Victorian Auditor General.

The scheme was unveiled by then Health Minister Jenny Mikakos after electric surgery had been paused during the pandemic leading to massive surgery backlogs, with the state aiming to carry out 240,000 surgeries as part of the blitz.

The VAGO report found that during 2023-24 health departments carried out only 209,925 surgeries, with the shortfall of more than 30,000 surgeries attributed to fewer public surgeries being performed in private hospitals than the government had planned.

At the time Victorian waitlists were the highest in the nation and had close to 60,000 more patients than the estimated 144,999 backlog in NSW for 2022-23.

Thousands of Victorians are still waiting for elective surgery. Stock image.

Despite not meeting the targets the report said the health department had achieved a substantial reduction in the waiting list, slashing it by 30,958 patients, or 35 per cent, from 88,434 in March 2022 to 57,476 by June 2024.

This was just shy of the target.

The plan also included turning Frankston Private Hospital into a public surgical centre managed by Peninsula Health, which started working in July 2023, four months behind schedule.

The centre did not reach its target of performing 9000 procedures in the 2023–24 year due to its late opening, only providing 6053 operations.

“Peninsula Health told us the modelling the department used to set the plan’s target did not adequately consider, workforce factors, some patients having more than one procedure per session, patients cancelling surgeries at short notice or not being fit to have the surgery on the day, the requirement to re-screen existing waitlisted patients, which took extra time, to confirm suitability for their procedure at the public surgical centre,” the report said. Bellbird Private Hospital in Blackburn only carried out about one third of its planned operations.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said more had been done in recent years to ensure waitlists were addressed. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The plan aimed for the centre to deliver 5,760 surgeries per year until June 2024. But it delivered 1,519 surgeries, comprising 877 surgeries in 2022–23 and 642 surgeries in 2023–24

It was also found that the scheme unveiled by Ms Mikakos came under budget by $356.4m – $155.5m was reallocated to other health services, while the other $185.95m was kept by the health department.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said more had been done in recent years after the blitz to ensure waitlists were being addressed.

“The VAGO report highlights the measures we put in place during a time of crisis worked – that is why we continue to back our hospitals with record funding so they can keep delivering the care Victorians need, sooner,” she said.

“Over the past three years we have reformed how we deliver surgery, and in the past year, our dedicated healthcare workers delivered a record 212,000 surgeries – the most in Victoria’s history.”