Elective surgery waiting list activity
This page includes information about the demand for elective surgery. Elective surgery waiting list (ESWL) activity is measured by the number of people added to, and removed from, the list. A patient may be booked for elective surgery (added to the ACT public hospital ESWL) following assessment from a medical specialist. They can be removed from the list when they have been admitted to hospital and received their surgery, or if the surgery is no longer needed, or the patient declined surgery.
Data highlights
Removals from the elective surgery waiting list for surgery
When a medical specialist refers a patient for surgery, they will assign the patient a clinical urgency category. This category relates to the time by which the practitioner considers the surgery to be required based on the nature of the patient’s symptoms or underlying condition. There are 3 urgency categories (1-3) where 1 is the most urgent and 3 is the least urgent. A patient’s clinical urgency category may change if they undergo a review by a medical specialist during the waiting period and their need for surgery changes.
Removals from the elective surgery waiting list for reasons other than surgery
While most patients removed from waiting lists are removed because they have had their intended surgery, other patients may be removed from the waiting list for other reasons such as the surgery was no longer required or declined, they were treated elsewhere, they were unable to be contacted, or they were transferred to another hospital’s waiting list.
Additions to the elective surgery waiting list
Following the referral for surgery from a general practitioner, a patient will receive an assessment by a medical specialist. Where it is determined that a surgical procedure is required, the patient is added to the ESWL. Additions to the ESWL is an indicator of demand for elective surgery.
How to download data
Download the elective surgery waiting list activity data displayed in this dashboard using the following link.