Non-urgent elective surgery will be temporarily postponed at Shellharbour Hospital from September 1 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District has announced.
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This decision was made to ensure the resources required for COVID-19 patients remain available.
All emergency surgery and urgent elective surgery will continue unaffected.
Read more: Illawarra lockdown as it happens
"There is currently sufficient ICU capacity for all patients who require intensive care, with more than 500 beds available throughout the NSW system," an Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District spokesperson said.
"From September 1, Category C and non-urgent Category B elective surgery at Shellharbour Hospital will be postponed.
"All urgent elective surgery (Category A and B) will continue to be performed."
The change to elective surgery at Shellharbour Hospital is in addition to the decision to temporarily postpone some non-urgent elective surgery at Wollongong Hospital from August 23.
At this stage, surgery at Shoalhaven (Public) Hospital will continue as normal.
"Those waiting for non-urgent elective surgery who are impacted by the changes will be contacted and encouraged to contact their referring doctor should their condition deteriorate, so they can be re-prioritised to a more urgent category if required," the spokesperson said.
"Postponing non-urgent surgery will support the state's healthcare workers as they manage the demands of the COVID-19 response, providing increased capacity to support health services for the people of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region."
