COVID-19 Update: Hurstville Private Hospital

We will continue to provide essential surgical services which fall under the category of semi-urgent and urgent procedures.

In light of the Prime Minister’s announcement today that all elective surgery other than Category 1 and urgent Category 2 surgery will be suspended in both public and private hospitals, I write to confirm that non-urgent Category 2 and Category 3 procedures will cease across Healthe Care Australia’s hospitals from midnight tonight (25 March 2020).

By definition:

• Category 1 – procedures that are clinically indicated within 30 days

• Category 2 – procedures that are clinically indicated within 90 days

We will continue to provide essential surgical services which fall under the category of semi-urgent and urgent procedures. Most commonly these procedures will be retained, although not exclusively, within the following areas:

• Obstetrics
• Cardiothoracic surgery
• Interventional cardiology
• Oncologic surgery
• Neurosurgery
• General surgery
• Vascular surgery

Importantly Healthe Care’s medical, rehabilitation, oncology, and mental health inpatient and day patient services will continue and our hospitals remain open to accept patients and provide these services.

Our decision is in compliance with Government mandates, while considering the needs of our patients, the health and safety of our staff, and available resources.

We are seeking urgent engagement with Federal and State Governments regarding the support we can provide to the wider community through our Healthe Care hospitals in response to this crisis. This may mean that our hospitals will be mobilised to accept urgent surgery on behalf of the public sector, or that we assist at the frontline in managing COVID-19 patients.

I appreciate that this is an uncertain time for you and all our teams. As an organisation we are working together to adapt to this ever changing environment and we will continue to update you as circumstances change.

25 March 2020