Report reveals hundreds languish on country SA surgery backlog
New data shows long surgery wait lists for country patients as nearly one in three hospital complaints go unresolved in the state’s north.
Just two hospitals at Port Lincoln and Ceduna recorded 801 patients on its elective surgery waitlist – with 109 overdue for surgery as of June 30.
According to health network reports tabled in state parliament this week, 47 of these patients were still waiting for a surgery date at the end of last financial year.
It comes as elective surgery waitlists surged this year across metro and regional hospitals.
At the time of writing, SA has 25,535 people on elective surgery waitlists across the state, with 7056 overdue, according to SA Health data.
Despite the growing waitlist, Health Minister Blair Boyer said SA has delivered a record number of elective surgeries in 2026.
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The Eyre Peninsula hospitals were also found to be failing in equitable emergency care, with a 9.4 per cent average rate of “missed opportunities to treat” Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.
Because of this, the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network committed to triaging Aboriginal people in 30 minutes or less when they present to emergency departments, the report said.
It also said the health network would recruit two Aboriginal health trainees to work at Ceduna and Port Lincoln EDs.
This regional backlog comes as the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network logged 129 public complaints, fueled by patient frustrations over inadequate treatment, coordination failures, and inconsistent communication regarding cancelled operations.
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Meanwhile, the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network received 307 negative comments in 2025-26 and 196 formal complaints.
The Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network received 307 negative comments in 2025-26 and 196 formal complaints.
Most complaints related to staff attitude, with 56 relating to failure to show values, including “empathy, respect, fairness, courtesy and cultural competency”.
The second most common complaint was timeliness, with excessive wait times, followed by 24 safety complaints including “duty of care not shown”, “poor security service” and “poor cleanliness”.
Of the formal complaints, 67 per cent were marked as resolved within the recommended timeframes, leaving nearly one in three formal complaints unresolved.
This has dropped compared to 92 per cent of complaints resolved on time last year.
The Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network do not record “missed opportunities” but recorded 6.7 per cent of its Aboriginal health patients “left against medical advice”, almost double its target of less than three per cent leaving against advice.
In a list of improvements to the service included in the report, the network said it would “continue monitoring and improvement work to reduce leave against medical advice rates”.
In response to complaints, the health service said it had improved the environment, including garden maintenance, upgrades and artwork in buildings, improved signage and “patient escalation pathways”.
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