Melbourne hospital patients could be diverted to regional centres such as Geelong, as the state government looks at ways of reducing stubbornly high waiting lists.
The idea is one of a number of proposals contained in a blueprint that the state government claims will improve patient experiences and outcomes.
The plan would see patients in outer Melbourne suburbs, such as Wyndham, directed to regional centres like Geelong where wait times may be lower.
Another proposal recommends offering patients alternatives to surgery in cases where invasive treatment might not be clinically appropriate.
The document also suggests the establishment of surgery “HIT (High Intensity Theatre) lists” that would focus on a single kind of surgical procedure, to speed up patient turnover.
While the waiting list for urgent category 1 patients has fallen to an average of 35 days, the state average for non-urgent category 3 procedures currently sits as 149 days.
However category 3 wait times at some of Melbourne’s outer hospitals, such as Maroondah, are still well over a year.
Other recommendations contained in the blueprint include replacing the phrase “waiting list” with “preparation list”, and centralising hospital administration.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said there was an opportunity for reform emerging from the “significant and ongoing challenge” faced by hospitals in Victoria.
“These reforms will improve patient experiences and outcomes, uplift and support our planned surgery workforce, enhance system efficiencies, and strengthen system stewardship and collaboration,” she wrote in the report.
