THE Ballarat Base Hospital will limit some elective surgeries until further notice.<\/p>\n
Implemented on Friday, 9 December, Grampians Health administrators moved to cut the volume of elective surgeries performed at the hospital due to increasing numbers of COVID19 patients and the virus\u2019 impacts on staffing.<\/p>\n
Currently, category 1 and high urgency category 2 surgeries are being given priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know how important access to the surgery is, and we will continue to review surgeries in a way that considers the needs of our workforce and current system demand,\u201d said Ben Kelly, chief operating officer of hospitals with the regional health service.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrampians Health continue to collaborate with St John of God Hospital and other providers in response to this impact on services.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of an increase in statewide COVID19 numbers, similar restrictions on some treatments are being seen across the health system.<\/p>\n
A statement from Grampians Health said patients scheduled for surgery would be contacted by the service, while, \u201cFace-to-face outpatient appointments and specialist clinic appointments will be reduced where possible or moved to telehealth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thank the community for their ongoing support and kindness towards our hardworking staff,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
Grampians Health did not say what the outlook on return to normal operating procedures might be.<\/p>\n
COVID-19 disruptions have been blamed for the lowest number of public elective surgeries performed in over a decade nationwide.<\/p>\n
The number of patients treated over the past financial year on non-emergency waiting lists fell to the lowest since 2010-11 according to data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Ballarat Base Hospital will limit some elective surgeries until further notice. Implemented on Friday, 9 December, Grampians Health administrators moved to cut the volume of elective surgeries performed at the hospital due to increasing numbers of COVID19 patients and the virus\u2019 impacts on staffing. Currently, category 1 and high urgency category 2 surgeries are […]<\/p>\n