More than 50 non-urgent elective surgeries have now been cancelled in South Australia and four patients have been moved from metropolitan to country hospitals, as part of the State Government’s winter demand management plan.
South Australia’s public hospitals experienced their busiest day so far this year last Tuesday, forcing the State Government to implement the plan to try to free up hospital beds and ease pressure on emergency departments during the winter peak.
Another eight elective surgeries scheduled for today were cancelled, bringing the total number of cancelled elective surgeries to 54.
South Australia Health’s acting chief executive Jenny Richter said it was too early to tell how long it would take for patients to be given a new date for surgery.
“It’s difficult for me to be precise because each day is being assessed for how busy the hospitals are and because each hospital is planning the rescheduling of those procedures on an individual basis,” she said.
As part of the plan, where appropriate, some patients will be relocated to hospitals at Gawler, Mount Barker and Victor Harbor to free up beds in Adelaide.
Health Minister Jack Snelling has previously said cancellations and moving patients to outer hospitals was likely to continue for up to six weeks.