ST GEORGE Hospital is considering outsourcing some surgical procedures to the Prince of Wales Hospital.
Some low-complexity short case surgical procedures may be performed at Randwick, said St George and Sutherland hospital director of operations, Cath Whitehurst, last week.
Ms Whitehurst said it was not uncommon for hospitals within the local health district to help each other out during busy periods.
Fight4StGeorge has been calling for more operating theatres at the hospital.
The group — made up of doctors, researchers and community leaders — wants the government to spend $800 million on refurbishing the 120-year-old hospital.
The hospital failed to meet four out of five key criteria for "current physical suitability" in the Local Area Health District's Asset Strategy Plan 2012-17.
It was rated "code red" (poor) for functionality-layout, building condition and compliance.
The hospital's new $39 million emergency department was opened on October 15.
Construction will also begin in mid-2015 on a new acute services building above the emergency department.
The new building will house intensive care, high dependency, two cardiac catheter laboratories, new operating theatres and imaging.
The hospital sees about 1870 trauma patients a year.
In past 12 months, 69 patients were transported by helicopter by the NSW Ambulance adult medical retrieval service and by CareFlight.
NSW Ambulance Service helicopters are based at Bankstown, Wollongong and Orange. It also has fixed wing planes at Sydney Airport.
The CareFlight helicopter is based at Westmead Hospital.
A spokesman for the ambulance service said it took crews about 15 minutes to prepare for a flight.
Area’s health topic of talk
A PUBLIC talk is being held at 10am Wednesday December 10 at Sydney Hospital, Macquarie Street, Sydney, about the local health district’s (LHD) plan for the future.
Board chairman Michael Still and chief executive Gerry Marr will discuss how the LHD hopes to improve the health of the population over the next three years.
The talk will be followed by the LHD’s annual general meeting at 10.45am.
The LHD includes St George and Sutherland hospitals and the Garrawarra Aged Care Centre at Helensburgh.
The talk will be held in the Claffy Lecture Theatre.
Would you be unhappy if your surgery was performed elsewhere?
