Bass Coast Health is pleased to welcome the return of surgery to the operating theatres at Wonthaggi Hospital after it was postponed during the recent Omicron COVID surge.
Elective surgery state-wide was put on hold to ensure health services had adequate staff available to undertake COVID-related treatment and services, including testing and vaccination.
Theatre staff at Bass Coast Health were redeployed to other areas within the health service, including on Medical/Surgical and Sub-Acute wards, and in the Emergency Department.
Surgery resumed on Monday 21 February, with the first surgeries undertaken at Wonthaggi Hospital by Monash Health’s Orthopaedic team. Throughout the first week of return, a total of 45 patients received surgery for Orthopaedic, Obstetrics, Gynaecological and General Surgery (Endoscopy), said Theatre Nurse Unit Manager Claire Mason. This number will increase over coming weeks to get us back to a full week of elective surgery.
“The team is absolutely pumped to be back on board. They are very happy to be able to do what they love to do here and that is offer a vital service to the community,” she said.
“Theatre is our first love but we’ve had amazing learning opportunities by working in other areas where we were redeployed.”
The Elective Surgery Access Unit Team are also back following redeployment to the Community Vaccination Centre and the wards, and are busy scheduling patients for appointments in the Pre-Admission Clinic at Wonthaggi Hospital in preparation for surgery at BCH.