Just over a year ago we started a new program to reduce patients’ recovery time after elective surgery and already it’s showing very positive results. Patients who took part in the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program went home closer to their predicted discharge day after surgery.

Since starting in February 2021, the program has helped 595 patients in three key surgical areas: colorectal surgery, elective caesarean birth and hysterectomy. It is run by a multi-disciplinary team that encourages patients to play an active role in their recovery through preparation for surgery and daily goals to aim for post-surgery.

Program Coordinator, Kimberly McNeice, said ERAS is making a difference and showing some promising results.

‘Ultimately, ERAS helps patients recover faster from surgery with fewer complications. Patients feel better prepared and this helps reduce their stress levels before and after surgery.’

‘Our team now runs a dedicated pre-admission clinic to screen, educate and prepare patients for their individual surgery.’

‘This team includes Program Co-lead Dr Andrew Deacon, nursing staff, anaesthetists, dietitian, physiotherapists and other practitioners such as social workers, speech therapists and exercise physiologists – depending on the situation.’

There have been some amazing improvements since the program started, including:

• the ICU admission rate falling from 29% to 12%
• medical complications dropping from 31% to 22%
• a decrease in patients staying 14 days or longer from 20% to 6%.

Kimberly also touched on what is next for ERAS.

'We're also expanding the program this year to include breast reconstruction, some head and neck surgeries, and lung surgeries.'
ERAS is just one of the great ways we demonstrate our commitment to providing the best possible outcome for our patients.

To find out more about the work we do, you can read our latest Exceptional Health Care Report 2020-21 [PDF 4.33MB].

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