• Blogs
  • Don’t wait to get the care you need

Don’t wait to get the care you need

06 December 2024

Blog
Your private health care
Our General Manager, Health Funding, Strategy and Performance Rav Carothers explains why choosing one of our private hospitals means you can get quick access to your specialist of choice and short waiting times.

First published 26 March 2018. Updated 6 December 2024.

Minimal waiting times

Our patients regularly tell us that getting treated quickly is one of the main reasons they choose our private hospitals for their care.

Whether it is for a child who has broken a bone at a football or netball game, an elderly parent who needs a hip replacement and rehabilitation, mental health care for a loved one or for a minor procedure that requires day surgery, we offer access to the care you need when you need it most.

Flexibility so you can plan your care

As a private hospital patient, we also offer you flexibility so you can plan your care to suit your lifestyle.

This means you can choose when you go for treatment so that it doesn’t interrupt your work commitments or prevent you from going on holiday. You can also plan your rest and recovery after your hospital stay.

It also means that you’ll be able to get back to doing what you love as soon as possible.

Public hospital waiting times

State governments regularly publish data relating to public hospital wait times. The waiting times for public hospital care can vary significantly by location, by category (urgency of treatment) and by type of surgery.

The Victorian Agency for Health Information publishes quarterly data on waiting times by region and category [Patients treated by urgency category (1,2,3) across the state, and in Western Australia, WA Health provides monthly updates on elective surgery wait times, which can be filtered by surgery type, with information on each public hospital in the state.

Another useful source for elective surgery wait times in Australia is the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing by state. So it is relatively easy to find out average wait times for public hospital treatment. 

How to access our care

When you see your GP, you can ask to be referred to a specialist doctor of your choice who works at a St John of God Health Care private hospital.

You can talk to your specialist about when you would like to receive care, either immediately or at a later date to suit your lifestyle. You can also ask them about likely wait time for a particular procedure at your first appointment.

We will be here for you whenever you need our care.

Head shot of Rav Carothers
Rav Carothers - General Manager, Health Funding, Strategy and Performance

Rav has worked in senior roles within health funding for a number of health funds including Medibank and HBF, and more recently with a large for-profit private hospital group.

Originally a lawyer by training, Rav has over a decade of experience negotiating health fund agreements.