SOUTH West Healthcare (SWH) is leading the way in the fight against bowel cancer.
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Director of Nursing Julianne Clift said SWH was meeting the recommended timeframe of 30 days from when patients are told they need a colonoscopy to when they hit the operating table.
This is against a statewide trend, with figures from Bowel Cancer Australia showing on average, Victorians have to wait 114 days.
“We are one of the best performing health services in the state when it comes to delivering colonoscopies on time,” Ms Clift said.
“We have 382 people on our colonoscopy waiting list and we are confident they will all be operated on inside the recommended timeframe.
“The urgency for colonoscopies are in three categories, each with a different timeframe. Category one is within 30 days, category two in 90 days and category three in 365 days.
“We do colonoscopies at both Warrnambool and Camperdown and our theatre staff work really hard to make sure we stay in the recommended timeframes.”
Ms Clift said efficient administration ensured all referrals for colonoscopies were processed in a timely manner.
She said the task of keeping on track with delivering colonoscopies would be aided if funding for the stage two redevelopment of SWH was approved. Stage two includes expanding from three operating theatres to six.
An awareness campaign by Bowel Cancer Australia reports 75 per cent of Victorian participants in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program who received a positive screen did not receive a colonoscopy within the recommended timeframe.
Bowel Cancer Australia CEO Julien Wiggins said it was unacceptable people must wait more than three months or even longer for a colonoscopy to learn if they had bowel cancer.
“A colonoscopy is not a procedure many would queue for, and yet many are in the thousands, which creates anxiety for patients and their families, as they wait to learn their fate,” Mr Wiggins said.
He said lack of government funding was having severe consequences.
“While we welcome the funding committed by the Victorian government, there needs to be an ongoing commitment to ensure timely colonoscopy, given projected demand,” Mr Wiggins said.
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