The latest data from the Bureau of Health Information has revealed a significant increase in overdue surgeries in New South Wales. In the past quarter alone, the number of patients experiencing delays in their surgeries has risen by 1,745, reaching a total of 8,587. Of those 8,587 patients, 2092 live in a rural area including eight within Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD). This marks a troubling upswing from around 2,000 patients statewide in mid-2024, although it remains an improvement from the daunting figure of approximately 14,000 earlier in March 2023.
PHOTO: The backlog of overdue surgeries in NSW worsened in the last quarter CREDITS: NSW Government
In response, the Minns Labor Government is taking decisive action to address this pressing health issue. As part of the 2025-26 Budget, the Government has announced an investment of $23 million aimed at reducing the backlog of these overdue surgeries. This injection of funds is anticipated to facilitate an additional 3,500 surgeries over the next year, helping to meet clinically recommended timelines.
Steve Whan, Member for Monaro, emphasised the Government’s commitment, stating, “The Minns Labor Government has said from day one that tackling overdue surgeries is a key priority. The data is encouraging, but we know there is always more to be done.”
While the overdue surgeries across the state present a significant challenge, SNSWLHD does fair well comparatively to other healthcare areas. The region’s Local Health District is one of the top performers in the state for Emergency Department (ED) and planned surgery performance.
PHOTO: Despite the concerning data across NSW, Southern NSW remains one of the state’s top performers for ED and planned surgery performance.
Semi-urgent and non-urgent presentations have improved, with non-urgent cases decreasing by 28.7 percent. Additionally, 94.6 percent of patients were transferred from paramedics to Emergency Department staff within 30 minutes, marking a slight improvement.
Within SNSWLHD, 100 percent of all urgent surgery happened within the benchmarked wait times, as well as 98.7 percent of semi-urgent surgeries and 99.7 percent of non-urgent surgeries – all above the NSW average.
Clinically recommended maximum waiting times for elective surgery are:
• Urgent – 30 days
• Semi-urgent – 90 days
• Non-urgent – 365 days
This investment comes as a part of the Government’s broader strategy, which includes a half-billion-dollar investment into emergency department relief to enhance care pathways and patient flow within hospitals.