The provincial government is establishing the new South Island Hip and Knee Program as part of its new surgical strategy aimed at reducing wait times for the health care British Columbians need.

“Far too many British Columbians on the South Island have been left on waitlists, instead of getting fast access to the surgery they needed to enjoy full, active lives,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “That is why, under our new surgical strategy, we’re getting people back on their feet faster by dramatically increasing access to hip and knee surgeries on the South Island.”

The South Island Hip and Knee Program is one of five new hip and knee programs the provincial government is implementing throughout the province as one component of its four-part surgical strategy. This provincial network of hip and knee programs will address the long waits faced by people for these procedures. In 2016-17, 30% of people waiting for hip surgery and 38% of people waiting for knee surgery waited more than 26 weeks.

On the Island, in 2016-17, approximately 33% of people waiting for hip surgery and 43% of people waiting for knee surgery waited more than 26 weeks.

With new operating room resources, including a new dedicated operating room at Royal Jubilee Hospital, approximately 800 additional joint replacement surgeries will be performed on the South Island in 2018-19, for a total of approximately 2,400 surgeries per year. This will significantly reduce the number of South Island patients waiting for hip and knee replacements.

“We are embedding the innovations of the former Richmond hip and knee reconstruction project into our new provincial hip and knee program, as it is a public health-care system solution that is proven to work for patients,” said Dix. “Our strategy will not only mean people spend less time waiting for hip and knee replacements, but that we keep up to demand for all surgeries by investing in more surgeries and implementing operating room efficiencies.”

Based on aspects of the Richmond Hip and Knee Reconstruction Project, the new South Island Hip and Knee Program is designed to support increased surgical volumes, reduce wait times, and improve continuity of care for patients by co-ordinating all the services a patient requires to prepare for, undergo and recover from surgery.

The program includes:

• dedicated operating room time;
• dedicated operating room at Royal Jubilee Hospital;
• pre- and post-surgical support;
• centralized intake;
• standardized assessment;
• first available surgeon; and
• ongoing evaluation

“This is tremendous news for the people we serve at Island Health. Here on the Island, we’re fortunate to be able to hike, golf or go to the beach almost year-round, and we want to do everything we can to support people in staying active,” said Island Health’s board chair Leah Hollins. “By improving timely access to hip and knee replacement surgeries, and streamlining the approach to care, we are supporting patients with quality care and giving them better quality of life.”

In 2016-17, approximately 14,390 hip and knee surgeries were performed throughout the province. By 2018-19, more than 19,250 will be done. The additional surgeries will mean a 34% increase in hip and knee surgeries. This will significantly reduce the number of patients waiting.

In total under the provincial surgical strategy, 9,400 more surgeries – 4,000 additional hip and knee, 900 dental and 4,500 other surgeries – will be done by the end of March 2019, compared to the previous year.

The surgical strategy‘s four areas of focus are:

• providing more surgeries in areas with long wait times, starting with hip and knee surgeries and incrementally tackling other surgeries with long waits;
• investing to keep up with growing demand for all other surgeries;
• making surgical programs and operating rooms more efficient throughout the province through better planning and scheduling and establishing centralized booking and a single point of contact for patients; and
• making sure the right number of health professionals are in place to deliver the services needed to meet demand both now and into the future, including surgeons, anesthetists, nursing and rehabilitation health professionals.

The surgical strategy is supported with ongoing targeted funding of $75 million, starting in 2018-19, and increasing to $100 million in 2019-20.

Learn More:

For information about B.C.’s surgical strategy, visit: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0010-000460

For information about B.C.’s strategy to improve dental surgery access for vulnerable children and adults, visit: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0019-000433

Two backgrounders follow.