Tennyson Centre Day Hospital successful in its tender for public work
We are delighted to announce that Tennyson Centre Day Hospital has been successful in its tender for public work as part of a collaboration between the public and private healthcare sectors in South Australia, aiming to reduce public surgery waiting times.
Surgery shake-up as public shift to private
As of yesterday, there were 17,462 people on the public hospital elective surgery waiting list, including 615 listed as overdue.
The deal aims to ease ramping, where ambulances arrive but there is no room in the ED due to patients who have been treated waiting, sometimes for more than 24 hours, for a ward bed.
The four-year contract will give SA Health flexibility to “dial up” the use of private hospitals in times of peak demand, SA Health chief executive Dr Chris McGowan told The Advertiser.
He said using available resources in the most efficient way would ease pressure on the public system and the cost would be lower than the national efficient benchmark – the RAH rates were considerably higher as its budget blew out.
SA Health will manage a new Patient Services Panel to oversee the agreement. Cost will come from existing hospital budgets but officials say the overall cost and number of patients treated, will depend on the fluctuating demand.
The move comes as SA Health prepares to open four Priority Care Centres manned by GPs and nurses as an alternative for ambulances taking patients with low urgency problem to busy Eds. They were due to open in June but have been delayed repeatedly.
Me Wade said the private hospital “landmark agreement” would revolutionise the management of hospital demand.
“Public and private hospitals have always worked together, however this has traditionally been done on an ad hoc, non-strategic basis” he said. “This new agreement allows for better planning and a more streamlined co-ordination of services to minimise delays for surgery.”
The 13 private providers include day and overnight hospitals, which will primarily assist with elective surgery and rehabilitation, but also give support during emergencies or major incidents.
Dr McGowan said the agreement was part of the “ambitious, long-term reforms that broaden the way the health system operates…”
“With this multimillion-dollar agreement in place, we will be able to provide a better service for our patients while reducing red tape for our local health networks and help them better manage demand.” He said.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said: “Steven Marshall is privatising public hospital services at the same time he has corporate liquidators cutting 170 beds from public hospitals.
This will be the biggest privatisation of public hospital beds since the Liberals privatised Modbury Hospital in the 1990s”
