WA health system buckling under rising pressure

Elective surgery cancellations across WA’s public hospitals have continued to rise even as Covid cases fall, in the latest sign of pressure in the state’s health system.

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Philip Gostelow

Elective surgery cancellations across Western Australia’s public hospitals have continued to rise even as Covid cases fall, in the latest sign of pressure in the state’s health system.

Monthly cancellations averaged fewer than 2000 a month between October 2021 and April 2022, according to data tabled by Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson last week, before climbing to more than 2000 a month from May 2022 onwards.

The number of cancellations peaked at 2478 in November 2022 – the final month for which statistics were provided, and well above the 1104 recorded in April 2022 when elective surgery bookings were temporarily paused because of the arrival of Covid-19 in the state.

Ms Sanderson told The Australian the increase in cancellations reflected the challenges felt in the state’s hospitals last year as a result of Covid.

“Factors including the Omicron outbreak, staff furloughing, sick leave, Covid-19 infection control protocols, and high rates of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) added unprecedented pressures to the system,” she said.

She said some surgeries were now being scheduled on weekends and others were being outsourced to private hospitals in an effort to address the backlog. Most surgeries were rebooked within a matter of days.

“Each of the health service providers is undertaking measures to safely reduce elective surgery waitlists, but the pandemic did have an impact and understandably it will take time to catch up,” Ms Sanderson said.

Opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam told The Australian the figures were the latest indicator of problems inside the state’s hospitals.

“We’re well past the point where Covid can be used as cover for the health issues across our hospital system,” she said.

“The peak of these cancellations was in November so you certainly cannot blame Covid for that.”

Seven of the 10 worst performed emergency departments in Australia were in WA, she said, while the number of people on the elective surgery waitlist had climbed almost 50 per cent since Labor came to power in 2017.

Ambulance ramping levels are more than three times the level Labor described as crisis when it was in opposition.

“We are the richest state in the country with eye-watering surpluses which our Premier states have made other states green with envy, so then why is it that we have a hospital system which is battling buckling at the knees?” Ms Mettam said.

“It is inexcusable and quite clearly the McGowan government have been sitting on their hands for the last six years.”

The president of the WA arm of the Australian Medical Association, Mark Duncan-Smith, said the worst month for surgery can­cellations came at a time when there was almost no Covid around.

“This just reflects inadequate capacity in the system,” he said.

WA’s hospitals, he said, were typically running at 100 per cent capacity, which is well above what is regarded as the optimum ­efficiency rate.

“Once you go over 90 per cent capacity, your rate of bed block, ramping, cancellation of elective surgery and deaths from both surgical and general hospital deaths go up,” he said.