The NSW Labor government will expedite endoscopy procedures after a preliminary audit found at least 20,000 overdue tests in the public health system, which could be delaying cancer diagnoses.
The intervention follows discussion with clinicians and patients about endoscopy waiting times, which prompted NSW Health to collect data from across the public system. It has not previously been monitored centrally.
Preliminary figures show 20,000 endoscopy procedures could be overdue, with final figures still to be validated.
Endoscopy is used to investigate, diagnose and monitor a range of health conditions, including examining symptoms affecting the digestive system and investigating possible bowel disease, including cancer.
Cancer Council NSW figures show that bowel cancer is the second most deadly cancer in the state.
Waiting times for endoscopies have been a long-standing challenge for the health system because of the growing demand, an ageing population and increasing referrals through the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
The government will spend $17 million boosting endoscopy capacity beginning with the most urgent cases.
About 350,000 endoscopies are performed in NSW each year across public and private facilities, including 160,000 through NSW Health.
On top of the funding boost, work is also under way to centrally monitor endoscopy waiting times.
Health Minister Ryan Park said NSW Health had acted on the concerns of patients and clinicians about endoscopy waiting times.
“I know that Health has been working over several months to collect this data and undertake the necessary planning to accelerate through these procedures, and now I want to see this funding opening up endoscopy appointments as quickly as possible,” Park said.
“More than this, centrally monitoring endoscopy appointments will help the health system not only to get ahead of these overdue procedures, but to stay ahead.”
Park said the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program had been “enormously important” in the early detection of bowel cancer, while also contributing to increased demand for endoscopy services.
“We know that early detection is vital. Bowel cancer is one of the most treatable cancers when detected early, so people who receive a positive screening result need timely access to the follow-up care they need,” he said.
As well as overdue procedures, it also emerged last week that Canterbury Hospital began urgently contacting patients who are overdue for surgeries after their admission referrals were found in an unmonitored inbox months after they were sent.
The hospital launched an urgent review after being alerted to the inbox containing more than 3000 emails, including referrals for patients needing urgent elective surgery.
The review found 16 overdue patient referrals: four “category 1” patients overdue for surgery that should have been performed within 30 days, and 12 “category 2” semi-urgent patients overdue for procedures that should have been performed within 90 days.
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