Planned surgery is central to Victoria's healthcare system. It provides essential care that improves the quality of life for tens of thousands of Victorians each year. These documents complement the Planned surgery reform blueprint providing operational guidance to public health services on the delivery of planned surgery and procedures.
Planned surgery access policy 2024
The Planned surgery access policy 2024 sets out the department’s expectations for access to planned surgery and procedures in Victorian public health services. This policy replaces the 2015 Elective surgery access policy. The target audience is Victorian public health services, particularly the executive and management teams of these services.
The policy prioritises timely and equitable access to planned surgery and procedures for all Victorians regardless of where they live. The policy also aligns with and supports the recommendations of the Review of access to planned surgery in public hospitals (below) and the Best care: Guidance for non-urgent elective surgery.
Download the policy documents
Background documents
National elective surgery urgency categorisation guideline - April 2015
Referring clinicians should consult the National elective surgery urgency categorisation guideline for guidance about procedures not listed in the Victorian recommended guide on the assignment of clinical urgency categories.
Implementation
Public health services will be asked to work towards meeting the expectations of the policy over a two-year implementation phase. The department has developed a readiness assessment tool and an implementation tracker to support health services with implementation in order to meet all the requirements of the policy by June 2026. These tools aim to support the identification of good practice in action, areas needing improvement and actions that will be undertaken to meet the expectations of the policy.
If you have any questions about these tools please contact healthservicesimprovement@health.vic.gov.au.
Planned surgery communication toolkit
A series of written communication templates have been developed to promote consistent, respectful and clear communication with patients about being on a planned surgery preparation list for their planned surgery.
Reviewed 19 June 2024
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