Friday December 1, 2017

CEO Professor Ruth Salom said she was pleased to report a positive finish to the 2016/17 financial year.

“This is largely due to the efforts of staff who have worked incredibly hard to deliver a result that represents a significant turnaround from the previous year’s deficit of $12.8 million,” she said.

“The financial year closed with a modest budget operating surplus of $1.2 million.

“All staff are to be commended for the role they have played in delivering such a significant result.”

Professor Salom said contributing factors in the positive result included a closely monitored savings plan, increased activity across the organisation, some one-off funding streams, and placing more staff on permanent contracts to reduce the need for casual, agency and locum staff.

“In the face of increasing demand, we have exceeded the Elective Surgery Waiting list target, reducing the waiting list to 1218 against a target of 1250,” she said.

“The volume of surgical work undertaken has meant that we have made a difference to the lives of 21,326 people.

“This year we treated close to 70,000 people in our Emergency Department.

“The increased elective surgery cases and increased numbers of presentations to the Emergency Department also had a flow-on effect on the number of Outpatient presentations.

“We continue to see growth in this area year on year and we are exploring how we can address this increasing demand in the future, including exploring offering clinics through other community-based locations.”