Media release – Tasmanian Liberals, 5 April 2021
Massive Boost For Elective Surgery
A re-elected majority Gutwein Liberal Government will deliver the biggest ever investment into elective surgery, with $156.4 million over four years across the state, delivering an additional 22,300 elective surgeries and endoscopies.
We will prioritise 2021-22, providing an extra 8,300 surgeries statewide, bringing our total volume for that year to more than 22,800 surgeries in one year – almost twice the size of the waiting list, and the largest year of surgery ever in Tasmania.
More than 180 staff statewide are expected to support this increase in volume, including more than 112 nurses, 14 doctors, 16 allied health staff as well as more than 40 hospital support staff.
During COVID-19, the national Cabinet, in agreement with all states, acted on Public Health advice to suspend all non-urgent elective surgery, to avoid bringing COVID into our hospitals. This has led to increases in waiting lists across Australia.
Under this policy, a majority Gutwein Liberal Government will invest this new funding on top of the $36.4 million already budgeted for 2021-22, which will fund these additional surgeries and support additional staff as we secure Tasmania’s future.
This investment is estimated to deliver nearly 20,000 more elective surgeries and over 2,300 extra endoscopies over the next four years.
This will include a wide range of surgeries and procedures, including hip and knee replacements, women’s health procedures, cataract removals, hernia repair surgeries and tonsillectomies, as well as diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopies.
From 2022-23 onward, this is estimated to provide more than 3,700 additional surgeries each year.
The final volume of surgeries and endoscopies, and number for each region for each year will be dependent on the complexity of patients and the types of surgery, which will be determined in consultation with clinicians.
This new investment will help target the backlog from the pandemic, and over three years, will see significantly reduced waiting lists and waiting times for Tasmanians, as surgeries are delivered sooner.
Dr Bastian Seidel MLC, Shadow Health Minister, 5 April 2021
Liberals’ sham health policy falls apart before it starts
The Liberal Government’s supposed big ticket health announcement today is a complete sham that has already fallen apart.
Shadow Health Minister Dr Bastian Seidel said the Liberals’ proposal to fix its own crisis on out-of-control elective surgery and outpatient waiting lists was unworkable, unrealistic and comes seven years too late.
“The Liberal Government has had seven years to fix up their elective surgery mess and to fix their outpatient appointment mess – they are directly responsible for more than 50,000 Tasmanians waiting for specialist outpatient appointments and for more than 12,000 patients who need necessary surgery,” Dr Seidel said.
“And today they announced that they are going to have 22,000 surgeries done by 10 additional doctors. How is that possible? How is that going to work?
“It’s completely and utterly deluded.
“But Tasmanians should not be surprised. While they are directly responsible for the mess in the state’s health and hospital system, the fact is the Liberals have run out of ideas about how to fix it.
“We now have patients who are dying while they are waiting for necessary surgery. We now have patients dying because they are waiting for specialist outpatient appointments.
“What the Liberals have come up with today is the best they can do and it’s a disgrace.”
Dr Seidel said the $156 million promised by the Liberals today was also a mistruth with $120m extra for surgeries and $36.4 million previously announced.
Additionally, the government’s claim to fast-track the private hospital in Launceston was laughable given they have been talking about it since 2018.
“The best they have been able to tell Tasmanians today around the $580 million LGH expansion is that they will come up with a plan within six months and then approach the Federal Government to pay for it.
“This is an appalling outcome for an important development they have been talking about for four years.
“Tasmanians already knew the Liberals are just not to be trusted on health and today they have more definitive proof.”
Media release – Sue Hickey, Independent MHA for Clark, 5 April 2021
Government can’t be believed or trusted on health
INDEPENDENT Member for Clark Sue Hickey MP says Tasmanians would be astounded at the Gutwein Government’s last-minute promises to boost health spending and claims it will cut elective surgery waiting list.
Ms Hickey said the Liberals have suddenly found an extra $154 million for elective surgery, but what have they been doing over the past seven years while the waiting lists have grown like topsy?
“At every fortnightly meeting I had with Premier Peter Gutwein and Ministers over the past three years, health was on my agenda and I implored them to put more money into health and to employ more nurses.
“They simply weren’t interested. They’ve done nothing for seven years, yet on the eve of the election, they somehow find some money.
“It is a sham, a con and the Liberals simply cannot be trusted to resolve Tasmania’s health and hospital woes.”
Ms Hickey said sufficient resources must be allocated to enable Tasmania’s health system to cope with the demands of Tasmania’s ageing population.
“The government has found millions to pour down the drain at Macquarie Point and money for boat ramps and fishing jetties, when these funds would be far better spent employing nurses for our hospitals.
“Tasmanians are entitled to timely access to health services and life-saving surgery.
“There are 51,000 people on the waiting list for an outpatient appointment and the critically unwell wait 211 days to be seen. This is totally unacceptable.
“As is access to basic dental services with currently more than 15,000 Tasmanians waiting for a dental appointment.
“What is the Government proposing to do to resolve the emergency department crisis? Most of the time there are more ambulances ramped at Emergency than actually on the road.”
Ms Hickey said Tasmania required a far greater investment in prevention and early intervention to reduce chronic disease and the resultant massive burden on the health system.
“Over the past three years and prior to my entry into parliament, I have been a loud and strong advocate for the development of purpose-built facilities to ensure people can access timely support that helps them to manage or recover from mental health, alcohol and drug issues.
“Mental ill-health, alcohol and drug use affects us all, either directly or through someone we know and care about.
“I am calling for the establishment of state-of-the-art purpose-built facilities to help people recover from mental health, alcohol and drug issues and better support for families and friends of people with mental health, alcohol and drug problems.
“Looking after people in our community is very important to me, whether they’re old, young or somewhere in between and I am committed to making sure families and friends get appropriate help and support.”
Ms Hickey said the Liberals ‘too little, too late’ improbable promise of extra funding for health was a fraud.
“They’ve ignored the problem for seven years and now expect Tasmanians to believe they care just before an election that didn’t need to be called. Do they really believe Tasmanians will fall for this deceit?”
Liberals’ Hollow Promises on Elective Surgery, 5 April 2021
Dr Darren Briggs – Greens Candidate for Braddon
Greens Candidate for Braddon, Dr Darren Briggs, said Tasmanians had every right to be sceptical of the Liberals’ elective surgery announcement.
“Tasmanians waiting in pain for elective surgery will be desperate to believe the Liberals’ promises to bring down a waiting list that is out of control.
“Unfortunately there’s little reason to trust a government that has promised the world at the last two elections, and only delivered more suffering for more Tasmanians.
“In 2018 the Liberals promised that 90% of elective surgery patients would be seen on time before the next election. That figure is now at a shocking 56%.
“As a doctor I’ve had a front row seat to the terrible impact of this government’s neglect of the health system and patients.
“Tasmanians need people representing them who understand why a properly funded health system is so important, and who will take action, not people who neglect the crisis for years and make a few hollow promises at an election.
“I hope for the sake of the 12,000 people on the elective surgery waiting list that more funds will be provided to this critical issue, regardless of who forms government. But whatever happens, these people will never get back the years of suffering they have gone through – largely thanks to a government who doesn’t care.”
Media release – Dr Helen McArdle President AMA Tasmania, 5 April 2021
TASMANIA’S SPIRALING ELECTIVE SURGERY MUST BE MORE THAN A CAMPAIGN HEADLINE
AMA Tasmania calls for a guarantee from all political parties that any promised increased funding into elective surgery will increase elective surgery capacity and be built into the long-term health budget.
The Liberals commitment to the co-located hospital at the Launceston General Hospital and more money for hospital equipment is welcomed by AMA Tasmania.
While increased funding to employ additional staff is also welcomed, this needs to be more than election promises.
“Rather than just a list of short-term promises, what we need is for the next government to deliver to Tasmanians a long game plan, as time and time again, we are seeing the system and the healthcare workers in the system at breaking point and patients not being treated within the recommended time frames whether that be in emergency departments or on the elective surgery waiting list.
“We need long term investment in elective surgery capacity to enable doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers to be employed on a permanent basis.”
Tasmania’s elective surgery waiting list is some of the worst in the country.
“With an ageing population, we will continue to see waiting lists for outpatients (the step before being put on the waiting list) and elective surgery worsen.
“We have an ever-increasing number of emergency patients needing theatre time which has meant elective cases having to be cancelled.
“There is nothing more distressing for a patient to turn up to have their operation cancelled from the operating theatre waiting bay because there is no theatre time available or bed for them to go to post-surgery. Likewise, there is nothing more frustrating or disappointing for the doctors and nurses to have to cancel surgery.”
COVID has impacted, but it is not the sole issue.
“We have more surgeons available than there are operating sessions, and operations are cancelled because there are inadequate beds on the wards and in the ICU. We need more theatre nurses, ward nurses and anaesthetists.
“Nursing and midwifery staff are working unsustainable amounts of overtime. This must be fixed.
“Pre-COVID, we were completing about 15,000 elective surgery cases while we added 19,000 at the same time. Elective surgery was already underfunded before COVID; funding must meet increases in demand as well as the increased costs of running the health system.
“What we need is a commitment to increase public hospital capacity across outpatients, inpatients, emergency, and elective surgery.
“We need more open and transparent real-time data on elective surgery and the reasons for its cancellations so that promises can be made in election campaigns that will make a real difference and not just a headline from either political party.
“We believe much more can be done to improve how the Tasmanian Health Service captures funding from the work that is done.
“The future looks grim if governments do not start to tackle the issues in more than a band-aid manner.”
