Canterbury Skin Cancer Programme Builds On Waitlist Progress
by Health New Zealand · SCOOPHealth New Zealand’s Waitaha Canterbury plastic surgery service continues to build on an already significant reduction to its skin cancer waitlist.
This ongoing momentum follows an intensive effort from teams across May and June, when more than 1,000 patients waiting for assessment and treatment of skin cancers were seen and removed from the waitlist.
The service ran eight additional Saturday clinics over winter, seeing up to 40 patients a day, alongside five additional weekday sessions. Through this work, the service saw 700 non-urgent patient cases who had been waiting longer than 120 days for assessment and treatment after a GP referral.
This assisted Canterbury’s plastic surgery service to move closer to the Government's Faster Access to Elective Treatment health target, with 67 per cent compliance. Canterbury’s focus is now on reaching the next milestone of 80 per cent, while applying lessons learnt from the previous intensive clinic period.
Alongside this, the Burwood Hospital Outpatients Unit is continuing to look for ways to further improve patient flow, including through additional first specialist assessment clinics for skin lesion patients who need to see a specialist before their treatment pathway can be confirmed.
Planned Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Diane Brown says while urgent skin cancer cases such as melanoma and aggressive squamous cell carcinoma are seen immediately, extra clinics provide more timely treatment for patients with less urgent skin cancers.
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"The difference our teams have made to the lives of these patients is remarkable," she says. “Reducing wait time means people are receiving treatment sooner and avoiding the potential risk of their cancers becoming more serious."
Dr Sally Langley, Clinical Director for Plastic Surgery, says the additional clinics were made possible through collaboration across the organisation.
"The success of these clinics reflects the commitment of our people across plastic surgery, dermatology, anatomical pathology, administration, sterile services and many other areas who worked together to increase treatment capacity for patients."
New models of care also play a key role, with GPs working alongside the plastic surgery team and some clinically suitable patients being treated through primary care providers.
Virtually all lesions treated through the programme are skin cancers. If left untreated, these cancers could continue to grow, causing pain, bleeding and in some cases require more extensive surgery and reconstruction.
Dr Langley says Canterbury’s plastic surgery service will continue its work to reduce wait times and ensure patients can access treatment as quickly as possible.
"Every patient treated represents someone who can move forward with confidence, knowing their cancer has been addressed. That's what motivates our teams every day."
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