Patients receiving assessments, elective surgery sooner as MDHB moves toward zero waiting lists by June

03/11/2011 | Health Targets - Elective Surgery

More people than ever before are having their elective surgery sooner and being seen earlier for a first specialist assessment (FSA) in the MidCentral District Health Board region, latest figures show.

And the board is progressing well toward its 30 June 2012 target of having no patients waiting longer than six months for a first specialist assessment, and having no patients waiting longer than six months for elective surgery.

More than 25,000 patients were assessed for the 12 months to the end of October, and by then only 241 patients were waiting longer than six months for a first specialist assessment. This is well down on the many hundreds waiting long periods a few years ago.

Thirteen out of 23 services had no patients waiting longer than six months for a FSA at the end of October. They are: diabetes, endocrinology, general medicine, infectious diseases, neurology, paediatric medicine, renal, rheumatology, haematology, oral maxillofacial, general surgery, urology and oncology.

Only 51 patients (with an assured status), were waiting longer than six months for elective surgery at the end of October, and 12 of those have since been allocated a date for surgery.

A total of 8724 patients had received elective surgery in the region in the year to the end of September.
The MDHB hospital advisory committee this week heard MidCentral Health was performing more elective surgeries this year than last year, which was more again on the year before – an increase of 30 percent more than three years ago, and all of it in-house.

Three of seven services had no patients waiting longer than six months for surgery - cardiology, ear nose and throat, and oral maxillofacial services.

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