Werribee Mercy Hospital’s elective surgery waiting list shrunk by more than a quarter in the first three months of the year.
The latest Victorian Health Services (VHS) report shows the hospital’s elective surgery waiting list dropped from 755 people at December 31 to 557 by March 31 this year.
Mercy Health chief executive Linda Mellors said the hospital had scheduled additional operating theatre lists and employed an additional orthopaedic surgeon and an ear, nose and throat surgeon to help drive down the number of people on the waiting list.
The report also revealed that the hospital’s emergency department (ED) treated 81 per cent of category two patients in the 2016 March quarter – up from 70 per cent in the previous quarter.
On the flip side, the hospital marginally failed to meet the state government target of treating 75 per cent of category three ED patients – those with moderately severe blood loss, persistent vomiting and dehydration – within 30 minutes.
Dr Mellors said demand for the hospital’s services continued to increase.
“We’re looking forward to the increased facilities, including a critical-care unit, which will come on line in mid-2018 when the $85 million hospital expansion is completed,” she said.
