Where you live can have a big impact on your ability to get well.
You’ve heard of people choosing where to live based on school catchments, public transport options and
crime rate. These things are often top of mind when considering location.
But interestingly, one of the most basic human needs – healthcare – is not usually considered.
Maybe this is because people don’t realise that in the public healthcare system, where you live can have an
impact on how soon you can access certain surgeries.
Your local public hospital determines your local wait time
Patients in the public system are not able to choose their specialist or hospital like they can in the private
system. Because the public referral system is based largely on catchment area, the public hospital nearest you
is usually the one you must visit.
This means that if your local hospital has a long waiting list for the procedure you need, you may be stuck
waiting through it.
These wait times can vary widely from one hospital to another. Perth median wait times for tonsillectomy, for
example, range from one month to over a year long.
Public hospitals will always prioritise you during an emergency or if your condition is considered clinically dangerous – so there’s nothing to worry about if your
health is in real danger.
However, for conditions that are not urgent, long wait times can apply.
With this in mind, it can be really helpful to know what the wait times are for common procedures at your local
hospital.
So how long is your wait time?
We looked at five common elective surgeries to see how different the wait times really are in select suburbs
across WA. Wait times were reported for the year ending December 2018.
These are median wait times, not averages. Median means that half of the people on the wait list waited longer
and half waited shorter.
You’ll notice some hospitals report ‘too few surgeries’ rather than a wait time. This means
that the hospital performed fewer than 10 surgeries in the year. Median wait times are only reported when 10 or
more surgeries are performed.
Please note that the following wait times start after you see a specialist. There’s a separate wait list before you see
a specialist called the ‘wait-to-wait’, but that’s another conversation.
Tonsillectomy wait times
Tonsillitis most commonly affects young children aged 5-15 because schools or child-care centres can be breeding
grounds for the bacteria or virus that cause tonsillitis1.
A tonsillectomy, or surgical removal of tonsils, may be recommended by your doctor if you have had reoccurring,
chronic or severe tonsillitis or complications from other issues with the tonsils.
The road to recovery may take longer than you think, depending on where you live.
Tonsillectomy wait times |
Royal Perth Hospital: |
25 days |
Bentley Hospital: |
43 days |
Fremantle Hospital: |
76 days |
Osborne Park Hospital: |
78 days |
Fiona Stanley Hospital: |
134 days |
Geraldton Hospital: |
131 days |
St John of God Midland Public Hospital: |
155 days |
Busselton Health Campus: |
176 days |
Joondalup Health Campus: |
183 days |
Perth Children’s Hospital: |
362 days |
Rockingham General Hospital: |
366 days |
While you wait...
Untreated tonsillitis can lead to sore
throats, sleepless nights and missed school days. In chronic tonsillitis, these symptoms can come back again and
again for months, which can disrupt family life and performance in school. In acute tonsillitis, those swollen
tonsils in the back of the throat can cause breathing difficulty.
A parent’s guide to tonsils
Learn more about tonsillitis and tonsillectomy in this handy guide.
Myringoplasty/Tympanoplasty wait times
Both of these surgeries are used to repair a perforated eardrum.
Causes of perforated eardrum include head trauma while playing sport, inserting a cotton bud too far, and
from air pressure changes when you catch a flight2.
Myringoplasty/Tympanoplasty wait times |
Royal Perth Hospital: |
126 days |
Fremantle Hospital: |
117 days |
Osborne Park Hospital: |
120 days |
Fiona Stanley Hospital: |
187 days |
Geraldton Hospital: |
123 days |
Bentley Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
St John of God Midland Public Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Busselton Health Campus: |
Too few surgeries |
Joondalup Health Campus: |
Too few surgeries |
Perth Children’s Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Rockingham General Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
While you wait...
If left untreated, a perforated eardrum can sometimes repair itself. But while it’s healing, you may suffer
hearing loss in the affected ear3.
If you can’t hear correctly, you can’t listen and learn correctly. This means that for young kids,
prolonged hearing loss can lead to trouble speaking.
A perforated eardrum is also vulnerable to infection, particularly if you get water in it. If your doctor has
recommended surgery, there’s a chance of infection or complications until the eardrum is repaired.
Myringotomy wait times
A myringotomy is a surgery that relieves pressure and fluid that builds up inside the ear during an ear
infection.
This one is common in kids – just like tonsillectomies – because kids under 10 years old are more
likely to
get ear infections.
Myringotomy wait times |
Geraldton Hospital: |
49 days |
Joondalup Health Campus: |
63 days |
Fiona Stanley Hospital: |
94 days |
St John of God Midland Public Hospital: |
139 days |
Royal Perth Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Osborne Park Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Bentley Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Fremantle Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Busselton Health Campus: |
Too few surgeries |
Rockingham General Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Perth Children’s Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
While you wait...
Pain, trouble hearing, and a chance of re-infection can all come with an untreated ear
infection4-5.
Septoplasty wait times
A septoplasty is the surgery required to fix
a deviated septum, which is when the divider between your
two nostrils is bent.
Septoplasty wait times |
Bentley Hospital: |
62 days |
Osborne Park Hospital: |
115 days |
Fremantle Hospital: |
121 days |
St John of God Midland Public Hospital: |
186 days |
Geraldton Hospital: |
204 days |
Joondalup Health Campus: |
236 days |
Royal Perth Hospital: |
260 days |
Fiona Stanley Hospital: |
369 days |
Busselton Health Campus: |
Too few surgeries |
Rockingham General Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Perth Children’s Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
While you wait...
A severely bent septum can cause regular sinus infections and breathing difficulties if not treated.
ACL reconstruction wait times
An ACL reconstruction is the surgery required to repair the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, an important
ligament in the knee.
We usually hear about sports players injuring an ACL and sitting out for the rest of the season. They get
medical treatment almost straight away, and still have to wait that long to get back to work.
Those of us who aren’t footy stars could be unlucky enough to wait as long as 150 days for a surgery.
ACL reconstruction wait times |
St John of God Midland Public Hospital: |
42 days |
Joondalup Health Campus: |
46 days |
Busselton Health Campus: |
54 days |
Royal Perth Hospital Wellington Street: |
70 days |
Fremantle Hospital: |
75 days |
Rockingham General Hospital: |
78 days |
Osborne Park Hospital: |
84 days |
Geraldton Hospital: |
153 days |
Bentley Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Fiona Stanley Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
Perth Children’s Hospital: |
Too few surgeries |
While you wait...
This can really throw a spanner in the works when it comes to work, school or family life. Not to mention
the medical consequences of leaving an ACL injury untreated. If left too long, ACL injuries can lead to
chronic knee problems such as ACL deficiency, which can cause your knee to buckle or give out, sometimes
with pain and swelling8.
1. Mayo Clinic, Tonsillitis - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tonsillitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378479
2. Mayo Clinic, Ruptured Eardrum - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ruptured-eardrum/symptoms-causes/syc-20351879
3. Ent UK, Perforated Eardrum Myringoplasty - https://www.entuk.org/perforated-eardrum-myringoplasty
4. WebMD, What is a myringotomy - https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/qa/what-is-a-myringotomy
5. Health Line, Otitis Prevention - https://www.healthline.com/health/otitis#prevention
6. Mayo Clinic, Deviated Septum - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/deviated-septum/symptoms-causes/syc-20351710
7. UW Health, ACL injury: Should I Have Knee Surgery - https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/decisionpoint/acl-injury-should-i-have-knee-surgery/aa54360.html
8. US library of medicine, untreated ACL injury - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5527846/
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