The Mersey Hospital will take on even more elective surgeries than previously anticipated as the Hodgman Liberal Government looks to slash elective surgery waiting lists through the One Health System reforms.
Adding more elective surgeries to the Mersey is a key part of the Government’s plan to avoid the 4,000 elective procedure cancellations which occur each year, including over 1,000 which are cancelled after the patient has been admitted to hospital.
More elective surgeries than previously anticipated will be delivered at the Mersey Hospital under the Hodgman Liberal Government’s One Health System reforms.
The White Paper exposure draft released earlier this year proposed that a dedicated Elective Surgery Centre at the Mersey would offer only day surgeries, but the White Paper to be released today will confirm that a substantially increased range of surgeries will be made available at the Mersey for all Tasmanians.
The Mersey will offer a wide variety of elective procedures which require up to one night’s stay in hospital. This means that around three quarters of the range of Tasmanian elective surgical procedures can be undertaken at the Mersey.
Examples of surgery that can be performed under the expanded service include gall bladder removals, and certain types of knee and shoulder surgery.
In a major step towards cutting waiting lists, procedures at the Mersey will not be at risk of cancellation due to emergency surgeries taking priority, unlike elective surgeries delivered at the State’s other major hospitals.
The increased range of elective surgeries will be supported by the reconfiguration over time of the hospital’s High Dependency Unit to cater for patients recovering overnight for surgery and requiring close observation.
This means that people in Tasmania will for the first time be able to book into an elective procedure knowing with confidence that it will be carried out on that date and without long delays caused by emergency surgeries.
Increasing the number of elective surgeries taking place at the Mersey will be one of the first White Paper changes to be implemented. Work will commence immediately with surgeons in the North and North West to expand the range and volume of services to be delivered at the Mersey.
The Mersey will also continue to offer a 24-hour Emergency Department and will add to its clinical profile a range of new specialist services including rehabilitation, geriatrics, pain management and neurology.
The final White Paper will also confirm an increased role for the Launceston General Hospital as the highest-level facility in the north of the state.
A number of complex surgeries and emergency procedures across the North and North West will be consolidated to the LGH, ensuring that patients receive complex care at a high-level facility where the necessary intensive care and specialist support is in place.
One of the key focuses of the One Health System reforms are to ensure that patients requiring complex medical care receive treatment at the highest level facilities where they are performed regularly and with the right support in place. Evidence shows that complex procedures which are performed at low-volumes present a high risk of adverse outcomes.
Efficiencies from the implementation of the reforms will be reinvested back into areas which are taking on additional volumes.