Hospital waiting times
Public surgery waiting times spiked during the pandemic, but are now coming down. But they're still up historically - here's how long you're likely to wait.
Key takeaways
- In 2024-2025 the median public hospital waiting time for surgery was 45 days.
- Public Hospital waiting times for elective surgery are longer than in the private system.
- You can get treated sooner by having private health cover in place.
Which treatments have the longest waiting lists?
Of the 15 most common surgeries in Australia during 2023–2024, the longest median waiting times in public hospitals were for:
- Septoplasty (332 days): Straightening a deviated nasal septum.
- Total knee replacement (265 days): Replacing a knee joint with an artificial one.
- Myringoplasty/Tympanoplasty (262 days): Repairing a hole in the eardrum or middle ear.
Are public surgery waiting times getting worse?
The AIHW's 2024–25 data shows public surgery waiting times have levelled off after the peak we saw in the pandemic. They're no longer climbing, but they're still above where they sat before lockdowns stopped people getting treatment, which spiked the numbers. Here are a few key highlights:
- The 2024–25 median wait was 45 days, down from 46 days in 2023–24.
- In 2024–25, 6.0% of patients waited more than a year. In 2023–24 it was 6.4%.
- First Nations Australians are waiting longer, with a median wait of 59 days, 14 days more than the overall number.
Median surgery waiting time in public hospitals
Here are the median waiting times for surgery in an Australian public hospital. The table lists 15 of the most common surgeries, with wait times for the past 5 years of reporting. Note that this is the median, so indicates the most typical wait time - most patients will wait more or less than this number.
| Median days waited for treatment | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract extraction | 98 | 172 | 158 | 133 | 118 |
| Cholecystectomy | 48 | 56 | 53 | 59 | 46 |
| Coronary artery bypass graft | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| Cystoscopy | 23 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 25 |
| Haemorrhoidectomy | 57 | 70 | 77 | 90 | 67 |
| Hysterectomy | 63 | 80 | 74 | 84 | 77 |
| Inguinal herniorrhaphy | 67 | 76 | 77 | 82 | 70 |
| Myringoplasty/Tympanoplasty | 214 | 292 | 259 | 283 | 262 |
| Myringotomy | 65 | 76 | 72 | 82 | 88 |
| Prostatectomy | 44 | 54 | 48 | 60 | 58 |
| Septoplasty | 277 | 330 | 315 | 365 | 332 |
| Tonsillectomy | 130 | 253 | 168 | 174 | 187 |
| Total hip replacement | 120 | 179 | 152.5 | 175 | 135 |
| Total knee replacement | 223 | 308 | 293 | 308 | 265 |
| Varicose vein treatment | 129 | 223 | 208 | 216 | 189 |
| Other procedures | 29 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 33 |
| Total | 39 | 48 | 40 | 49 | 46 |
Percentage of patients that waited more than 1 year
Unfortunately, waiting lists for surgery can run long - really long. This table lists the percentage of public patients that waited more than 365 days for their surgery, by surgery type, over time.
| Percentage waited more than 365 days | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract extraction | 4.8% | 14.5% | 10.6% | 12.5% | 6.5% |
| Cholecystectomy | 1.4% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 6.3% | 2.9% |
| Coronary artery bypass graft | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Cystoscopy | 0.4% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2.5% | 1.4% |
| Haemorrhoidectomy | 1.9% | 6.0% | 7.4% | 12.8% | 6.1% |
| Hysterectomy | 2.8% | 10.8% | 9.6% | 14.4% | 8.9% |
| Inguinal herniorrhaphy | 2.9% | 8.0% | 7.3% | 11.3% | 6.3% |
| Myringoplasty/Tympanoplasty | 20.6% | 29.4% | 30.2% | 39.2% | 31.5% |
| Myringotomy | 2.3% | 8.2% | 4.7% | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| Prostatectomy | 1.2% | 4.1% | 3.1% | 7.0% | 5.3% |
| Septoplasty | 18.1% | 36.0% | 34.4% | 49.6% | 37.8% |
| Tonsillectomy | 9.1% | 23.1% | 20.1% | 26.4% | 18.4% |
| Total hip replacement | 7.4% | 20.6% | 18.5% | 24.2% | 15.7% |
| Total knee replacement | 11.4% | 31.7% | 29.6% | 37.3% | 25.7% |
| Varicose vein treatment | 6.6% | 19.8% | 22.2% | 28.0% | 22.0% |
| Other procedures | 2.1% | 5.3% | 4.6% | 7.5% | 5.1% |
| Total | 2.8% | 7.6% | 6.3% | 9.6% | 6.4% |
Public hospital waiting times from state to state
Public hospitals are administered at the state and territory level, so the wait times change slightly depending on where you live. In 2023-2024, NSW came in worst for the median wait time, with 65 days. Victoria was lowest at 33. The Northern Territory data was unavailable in this dataset, but it has historically been on the lower end.
| Median days waited for treatment | Percentage waited more than 365 days | |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 65 | 7.8% |
| Vic | 33 | 6.9% |
| Qld | 40 | 3.9% |
| WA | 47 | 5.8% |
| SA | 47 | 5.1% |
| Tas | 48 | 6.3% |
| ACT | 50 | 8.9% |
| Total | 46 | 6.4% |
How do surgery hospital waiting lists work for public vs private patients?
Public hospitals
Public hospitals are often very busy, so they need to prioritise treatment in order of urgency.
You only need to go onto a waiting list for elective surgery (a procedure that isn't considered an emergency) such as cataract surgery or hip replacement.
If you choose to go through Medicare, you can access free or low-cost hospital care. Your elective surgery can be booked once you've received a specialist medical assessment. After the doctor has confirmed that you need surgery, you'll be placed on a waiting list.
Private hospitals
Private hospitals do have waiting lists for elective surgeries, but they're shorter than public waiting lists, on average. Private hospitals also allow you to choose the doctor you want and offer more flexibility on when you're treated, plus you can often get your own room.
The catch? Unlike Medicare, it's not free. You'll need a hospital insurance policy and if it's a pre-existing condition you want treatment for, like a bad knee, you'll need to have a policy for 12 months before you're covered.
Surgery wait time categories
When a doctor or specialist books you in for surgery, you will be put into a clinical urgency category for elective surgery. Which category you are in depends on how quickly you need treatment, and will be tailored to you specifically. 2 people with the same diagnosis could potentially be put into different categories depending on the various factors. The 3 clinical categories are called, very creatively:
- Category 1: Surgery recommended within 30 days.
- Category 2: Surgery recommended within 90 days.
- Category 3: Surgery recommended within 365 days.
What clinical urgency category are you?
You can use My Hospitals to find out how long you will likely have to wait for the surgery you need. If you feel your condition has worsened, contact your specialist and you may be reassigned to a more urgent category.
Using private health insurance to cut your waiting time
If you have private hospital insurance when you receive your first diagnosis, you may be able to get treated in a private hospital at a reduced fee. Your policy will need to include cover for the specific treatment you need. You'll need to check your policy or call your health fund to find out. You'll also need to have already served your 2-month waiting period (12 months for child birth).
If you don't have a policy, or your policy doesn't cover your surgery when you get your diagnosis, then it's a bit more complex. You can still get a new policy that can cover your surgery, but you'll need to wait a 12-month waiting period, because it's now considered a pre-existing condition. However, with public waiting lists as they are, it could be worth considering.
You also have the option of paying out of pocket for private surgery. This could be pretty expensive, but if you have the financial means and want treatment right away, then it's possible.
The cost of private treatment
If you're going private, then you'll have a much shorter wait before you get surgery. Typically it'll be a matter of days or weeks instead of months or years. However, you'll be paying more for it - here's how it might shake out:
- If you have hospital cover you'll pay your policy excess, as well as any out-of-pocket costs, also called the gap, that your health fund doesn't cover. You can find out how much this number will be by calling your health fund before your surgery, or get an estimate on Medical Costs Finder.
- If you don't have hospital cover you'll pay for everything. That means hospital accommodation (starts in the high hundreds per night), anaesthetic (starts in the low thousands each round), surgery costs (several thousands, can get into the tens of thousands depending on the procedure) and any extra costs that crop up. You'll likely be asked to pay the estimated costs on admission, then any difference in the final cost later.
Let's just say that if you feel like private treatment is something that matters to you, you probably want to have private health insurance already in place.
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I was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia last March. BHS said your referral has been assessed as routine.
The hernia is painful but I heard nothing from BHS. I found out the referral had been born in NZ written on it.
Hi Paul,
Sorry to hear about your medical condition.
When you mentioned BHS, did you mean Ballarat Health Services? If so, you may want to get in touch with them to check your referral status. You can call them on +61 3 5320 4000. I hope this helps
Regards,
James
I was told by my Doctor to go on the waiting list for knee reconstruction surgery.
Hi Jo,
Thanks for your inquiry.
If you are going to a hospital for elective surgery, some procedures tend to have considerably longer waiting periods than others and you may wish to make plans to have the surgery at a private hospital or to cover the surgery with a private health fund rather than going in as a public patient.
You may check our guide and list of health insurances for joint replacement. All hospital policies apply a two-month waiting period to joint replacement and reconstruction claims unless treatment is due to a pre-existing condition, in which case the waiting period is 12 months. You can use our comparison table to help you find the insurer that suits you.
When you are ready, you may then click on the “Go to site” button and you will be redirected to the insurer’s website where you can request a quotation or get in touch with their representatives for further inquiries you may have. Please ensure you review the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions before purchasing.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Rench