The number of people being referred to see surgeons has increased by 30,000 in the last two years.

In 2013, 108,861 people were referred to a surgeon for a variety of issues.

The Bay of Plenty District Health Board has seen an increase in the number of people being referred to see a surgeon. Photo: File.

However, this number increased to 127,364 in 2014, and now sits at 138,700 for 2015.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB) Surgical Services team leader Bronwyn Anstis says growth in demand has been significant.

'Whilst the BOPDHB has been increasing investment in its orthopaedic resources, we have to make sure that patients with the most significant clinical needs receive priority,” says Bronwyn.

All referrals received by the BOPDHB from GPs are graded by clinical urgency by the respective department.

They are graded using a specific set of clinical prioritisation criteria aligned to the specialty (eg orthopaedics has specific criteria and general surgery has a different set of criteria).

'The BOPDHB has adopted the relevant national guidelines on clinical prioritisation and access to services,” she adds, 'to ensure the process is fair for all and consistent locally and nationally, based on a robust scoring methodology.

'There are also some referrals where it's appropriate for the specialist to provide advice to the referring GP or, alternatively, are referred to other services such as clinical nurse specialists and the newly established fracture fragility service.”

Bronwyn says demand for orthopaedic services is growing significantly.

'We have recruited a new orthopaedic consultant this year,” she says, 'and are planning additional joint replacements and other orthopaedic procedures in the coming year, with further increases in the following two years, supported by new funding from the Ministry of Health.”

The number of orthopaedic surgeons has increased from 14 in 2013 to 15.

In 2013, some 40,245 people received first specialist appointments and now 45,122 have been seen or are booked to be seen so far this year.

'Even though demand on our services is continually increasing, waiting times for surgery have reduced significantly over the last three years,” says Bronwyn.

'These waiting times have moved from a point where most people received treatment within six months, to the current situation where most people receive treatment within four months.”