The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
1240/5(7301)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 11th DECEMBER 2012
Question
Will the Minister update, to the end of Quarter 3 2012, the figures given in response to Question 6867 on 15th May 2012 and in Question 7240 on 12th June 2012 for waiting lists for elective surgery?
Will she state whether some elective procedures have been postponed until the start of the new financial year in January 2013?
Will she further state what the bed occupancy rate in the hospital is currently? Answer
- The information provided to States members in response to the question on 15thMay 2012, showed that between 2008 and 2010 there was an increase in the waiting list and the waiting times for elective surgery, but that between 2010 and 2012 that trend started to reverse with the percentage of patients waiting over the 3-month target as follows:
Q1 2008 7% Q1 2009 12% Q1 2010 25% Q1 2011 18% Q1 2012 15% Q2 2012 14% Q3 2012 15%
The slight increase in the percentage of patients waiting over 3 months in Q3 is to be expected due to theatre closures over the summer holiday period for essential annual maintenance.
The information also showed that demand for elective surgery increased between Q1 2008 and Q1 2012 by 18% and this continues to be a challenge in my department's work to reduce waiting times within existing resources. In Q3 2012, 2,354 procedures were performed and 1,671 patients were on the waiting list which means that quarterly demand for elective surgery has now increased to 4,025 or, in other words, a 22% increase in demand since Q1 2008.
- The Minister is pleased to confirm that no elective surgical procedures have been postponed until the start of the new financial year in January 2013 and there no plans to do so.
- Current average bed occupancy rates in the Hospital are 85% (Medical Beds 88%). Occupancy rates vary throughout the year however and in some wards have reached peaks of between 90% to 99%.