Media release – Australian Medical Association (AMA), 16 August 2023
AMA and medical colleges call for immediate action to clear surgery backlog
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has joined with medical colleges to call on the federal and state and territory governments to take immediate action to tackle ever-growing surgery waiting lists, with hundreds of thousands of Australians often waiting years in terrible pain.
The AMA; Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS); Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) and Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) have written to federal Health Minister, Mark Butler, calling for action to get public hospitals out of logjam.
The group says while the National Hospital Funding Agreement (NHRA) needs reform, a new agreement won’t be introduced until 2025, and there’s desperate need for a new plan to tackle the existing backlog of surgeries.
The AMA and the medical colleges are pushing for 50–50 funding in the new NHRA and the removal of the 6.5 per cent cap on funding growth, together with the reintroduction of performance funding.
AMA President Professor Steve Robson says hundreds of thousands of people are waiting for essential surgery and urgent action is needed now.
“Sick and injured patients across Australia have been suffering for far too long on surgical waiting lists,” Professor Robson said.
“We need action now — from all governments — to get our hospitals out of logjam and help all those Australians whose lives are being severely impacted because they can’t get the surgery they need.”
The letter says new funding must be dedicated to clearing the surgery backlog, with an estimated $4.4 billion — shared between state, territory and Commonwealth governments — needed over two years.
Immediate action is required to help public hospitals expand capacity, as we estimate the elective surgery backlog is likely to be above 500,000 patients and growing, while the “hidden waiting list” for initial public outpatient appointments could exceed 400,000.
RACS President Associate Professor Kerin Fielding stressed the importance of recognising the community’s continuing and increasing demands for specialist surgical care and access to elective surgery.
“The capacity of health services to improve standards of living through surgery is increasing, but the allocation of resources to support this still requires improvement. So too does the term ‘elective surgery’, which has been questioned by the College, since ‘essential surgery’ seems more accurate,” Professor Fielding said.
“We should also look at improving efficiencies within the public health infrastructure by establishing facilities with dedicated surgical beds reserved for planned elective surgery patients to ensure emergency admissions do not occupy theatre and bed resourcing.”
RANZCO President Dr Grant Raymond said: “Publicly funded cataract surgery is under enormous pressure with the current waiting times for elective surgeries adding distress to many patients. Without targeted intervention the excessive delays for the elderly will continue to worsen”.
RANZCOG President Dr Benjamin Bopp said: “The current waiting times for elective surgeries for women is adding distress to many and impacting on quality of life, not just for individuals but also their families and communities. This will only get worse without targeted intervention.”
Media release – Tasmanian Branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, 16 August 2023
ASMANIA COMMUNITY PHARMACIES WELL POSITIONED TO CONTINUE OPIOID REPLACEMENT THERAPY SERVICES
Tasmanian Branch President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Helen O’Byrne has praised the Tasmanian Government for continuing to support the State’s community pharmacies providing services to patients who receive opioid replacement therapy.
Opioid replacement therapy provides treatment to assist people who are recovering from addiction to illicit or prescription opiate drugs. People who seek treatment are assessed and prescribed the treatment with dispensing occurring in approved community pharmacies across Tasmania.
Recently the Commonwealth Government made changes to State based opiate replacement schemes, with community pharmacies now able to deliver Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) funded opioid dependency therapies. Due to differences in the State and Commonwealth funding many Tasmanian pharmacy owners had concerns regarding the cost implications in continuing to service patients under the new arrangements with some owners reconsidering their ongoing participation in delivering the therapy.
Tasmania is the only State to apply a top up payment to ensure that community pharmacies remain viable when offering pharmacotherapy services.
“Opiate replacement treatment helps people with recovery from drug addiction, providing a substitute product to reduce reliance on opiates over time”, Ms O’Byrne said. “It helps people to participate in work, family and recreational activities and improves their quality of life.
“We know that the pharmacist/patient relationship is really important to the patient’s recovery, and it is important that we provide clinical care and oversight to these vulnerable patients within their own community.
“Our State Government has acknowledged the efficient and professional service provided by community pharmacies across the state, with accessible opening hours and convenient locations”, Ms O’Byrne said. “We are grateful that the Government also understands that the pharmacy infrastructure which supports patient care, including the professional role of the pharmacist needs to be appropriately compensated to ensure the continued provision of this important healthcare service.”
Ms O’Byrne also thanked the Tasmanian Health Department for working closely with community pharmacies to deliver a new injectable long acting opiate replacement therapy program. This program provides suitable patients with enhanced quality of life, convenience and normality as the therapy is injected and releases slowly over 30 days. Pharmacists with previous experience in vaccination and opioid replacement therapy can now undertake a free Department approved online training course to administer the therapy on supply of a valid prescription.
“It’s great to see community pharmacists’ skills utilised in this way, and importantly it also means the patient doesn’t have to organise another appointment with their treating GP”, Ms O’Byrne said. “Feedback from pharmacists who have completed the training and who have been able to administer the therapy is that this service has been extremely positive for patients and professionally rewarding for the pharmacist.”
