Auditor-General finds program to target ACT outpatient waitlist was 'ineffective'

The program, dubbed operation reboot, was set up by the ACT government in 2020 to address the shortfalls from the COVID pandemic.

But the program did not even achieve half its target with only 6132 extra appointments, or 43.8 per cent, achieved in the $3.5 million program.

The program also did not take into consideration the effect of the pandemic, which resulted in an increase in those needing outpatient appointments.

The findings have been set out by ACT Auditor-General Michael Harris, who found there was no detailed implementation planning, no project plan or roles and responsibilities for the initiative.

"The prioritisation of rapid rollout over forward planning compromised the effectiveness of the implementation," Mr Harris said.

Canberra Health Services also engaged private providers as part of the program to help deliver the outpatient appointments but these providers only saw 585 patients.

"Significant effort was expended on engaging external providers for very little return," the audit said.

MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS:

The audit found Canberra Health Services did not redesign or provide services more efficiently to do the outpatient appointments and the 14,000 target did not account for the "impact of the early public health response to the pandemic".

"The target of 14,000 was based on analysis of service need from pre-COVID-19 data and did not account for the increasing proportion of patients waiting outside clinically recommended time frames due to the early public health response to the pandemic, which was ostensibly the purpose of operation reboot," the audit said.

The audit recommended Canberra Health Services review its procurement processes, including there is "detailed record-keeping" so accurate information is available on how decisions are made and how value for money was achieved.

It was also recommended Canberra Health Services use the lessons learned from the program to inform planning for future emergency response scenarios.

"This should include the development and circulation of short checklists and templates to support project owners needing to develop effective implementation and risk management plans within short time frames," the report said.

Only $1.3 million had been spent by the end of the funded period in June 2021. The remaining $2.1 million was not spent due to a lower than expected number of appointments being delivered.

Canberra Health Services told the Auditor-General these funds were reallocated to the broader COVID-19 health response.

Outpatients are those who receive treatment at a hospital without staying there overnight.

Data on outpatients shows some are forced to wait years for certain treatment and appointments, including general surgery, gastroenterology and dermatology.

The audit report was slammed by the opposition's health spokeswoman Leanne Castley.

"It is disappointing but not surprising that the Health Minister announced this initiative as a way to fast track recovery in our public health system, only to fall well short of what was promised," she said.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.