NSW Government Allocates $30 Million to Expand Short-Stay Surgeries in Western Sydney

The NSW Government has announced a $30 million investment to expand High Volume Short Stay surgical services across the state, aiming to improve access to planned surgeries for approximately 3,500 patients in Western Sydney.

Under the initiative, short-stay surgery models—where patients are admitted for planned procedures lasting up to 72 hours—have been introduced in the Nepean Blue Mountains and Western Sydney local health districts.

At Nepean and Hawkesbury hospitals, the funding will extend the short-stay model to gynaecology as well as ear, nose, and throat surgeries, with the expansion projected to deliver an estimated 500 surgeries by July 1, 2027. In the Western Sydney Local Health District, Auburn Hospital has expanded its short-stay capacity for cataract surgeries, enabling it to perform more than 1,400 procedures annually.

According to the NSW Government, the implementation of this model contributed to reducing overdue planned surgery patients in the Western Sydney Local Health District to fewer than five in the latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly report, down from 2,021 during the same period four years prior. The government reported that overdue planned surgeries reached zero at Auburn, Westmead, and Mount Druitt hospitals.

Statewide, the number of patients waiting longer than clinically recommended for planned surgeries fell from 14,059 in March 2023 to 3,955 in March 2026, after peaking at over 18,000 in 2022.

The $30 million expenditure complements $200 million invested since 2024 to address surgery backlogs, alongside the launch of a Surgery Hub at Northern Beaches Hospital that commenced operations on July 1 and is projected to deliver up to 5,000 additional surgeries annually. Furthermore, the 2026–27 NSW Budget allocated $10.3 billion toward broader health system capacity, which includes funding for approximately 2,900 additional planned surgeries.

Source