The COVID-19 Delta outbreak forced the number of elective surgeries performed at Wollongong Hospital to drop by 21 per cent, new figures show.
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The latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly report shows there were almost 400 fewer elective surgeries performed at Wollongong Hospital in the July-September quarter this year, compared to the same period last year.
Non-urgent surgeries were paused in August to free up healthcare resources to respond to the COVID crisis.
Those who did go under the knife at Wollongong during this quarter were waiting a shorter time, with median waiting times down across all categories.
Of the urgent surgeries, 99.8 per cent were performed on time, down from 100 per cent in 2020, but the proportion of semi-urgent surgeries done on time jumped from 60.4 per cent to 89.1 per cent.
More than 72 per cent of non-urgent surgeries were performed on time - up from 17.8 per cent last year.
There were also fewer patients left on the waiting list - at the end of the quarter 2553 people were still in need of elective surgery at Wollongong Hospital, a 15.6 per cent decline on the 2020 quarter.
"Prior to the Delta outbreak, sustained efforts by hospitals to increase elective surgery activity had brought the waiting list down from its highest ever level following the first wave of COVID-19," BHI chief executive Dr Diane Watson said.
The most dramatic declines were seen in the numbers of patients waiting for myringoplasties and tympanoplasties (ear surgeries), abdominal hysterectomies, and tonsillectomies.
However, the number of people on the waiting list grew for patients in need of varicose vein stripping and ligation (up 108 per cent), hysteroscopies (up 31 per cent) and cystoscopies (up 4.5 per cent).
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District chief executive Margot Mains said the organisation continued to prioritise patients whose surgeries were delayed.
"This is being achieved through a number of strategies, including an ongoing arrangement with three private health providers to undertake public elective surgery," Ms Mains said.
At Shellharbour Hospital, the number of surgeries performed also fell by almost 21 per cent.
All urgent surgeries were performed on time, and while there was a slight increase in the number of patients waiting longer than recommended for semi-urgent surgeries, performance improved for non-urgent procedures.
The number of patients remaining on the waiting list was down on the previous year, by 7.6 per cent.
"Prior to the Delta outbreak, sustained efforts by hospitals to increase elective surgery activity had brought the waiting list down from its highest ever level following the first wave of COVID-19," BHI chief executive Dr Diane Watson said.
"While the suspension of non-urgent elective surgery in Sydney hospitals from early August meant fewer of these surgeries were performed than the preceding quarter, they remained above the levels seen during the first wave of the pandemic."
Meanwhile, emergency department attendances at Wollongong Hospital were down by almost 7 per cent.
The average time it took for patients brought in by ambulance to be transferred to hospital care rose by two minutes, to 14 minutes, with 80.6 per cent transferred within 30 minutes - down from 86.9 per cent in 2020.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
