Health · Healthcare & Policy · 2 hrs ago
Sydney hospital finds 16 surgery referrals in unchecked inbox
Sydney Local Health District found 16 surgery referrals in an unchecked inbox at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney.
The inbox held about 3,400 unread emails, and some referrals dated back to late 2025.
Four patients were advised to have surgery within 30 days, while 12 were in a 90-day category.
The district apologised, launched a review and says it is contacting affected patients to arrange new surgery dates.
Surgeons have been asked to review each patient and prioritise care, and admission dates have been allocated to prevent further delays.
The Australian Medical Association warned delays could put some patients at risk, including people with cancer or heart disease.
An opposition spokesperson called for an independent review, while the district says it will strengthen staff accountability and monitoring.
Canterbury Hospital found surgery referrals in an inbox that had not been monitored.
The Sydney Local Health District said the inbox contained more than 3,000 emails.
The review found 16 overdue referrals: four patients were classed as Category One and 12 as Category Two.
The district said it was contacting patients, arranging clinical reviews and urgently allocating admission dates.
The Australian Medical Association’s NSW president warned that delays could put some patients at significant risk.
- Who
- Canterbury Hospital and the Sydney Local Health District, which oversees it; 16 patients had overdue surgery referrals.
- What
- Referrals were left in an unmonitored inbox. The review found 16 overdue referrals, while another four referrals had not exceeded the recommended waiting time.
- When
- The referrals included some dating back to late 2025; the issue was discovered in October 2026.
- Where
- Canterbury Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
- Why
- Not stated. The articles report that the referrals were in an unmonitored inbox.
Australian Medical Association NSW
Sydney Local Health District
Patient risk
Australian Medical Association NSW
Fred Betros said delays posed a significant risk to Category One patients and could be devastating for patients and families.
Sydney Local Health District
The district said patient safety and wellbeing were its highest priorities and that it had worked urgently to minimise the impact.
Response
Australian Medical Association NSW
Betros warned that some patients who breached waiting times would not be okay.
Sydney Local Health District
The district said it was reviewing each case, contacting patients and strengthening monitoring and oversight.
Some emails in the unmonitored inbox dated back to late 2025.
One urgent patient and two semi-urgent patients underwent surgery after the error was discovered.
The inbox was discovered and Canterbury Hospital launched an urgent review.
- Inbox
- More than 3,000 emails; about 3,400 according to the Sydney Local Health District
- Overdue referrals
- 16 patients: four Category One and 12 Category Two
- Other referrals
- Four patients were waiting for non-urgent surgery and had not exceeded the 365-day recommended time frame
- Category One
- Surgery recommended within 30 days
- Category Two
- Surgery recommended within 90 days
- Hospital
- Canterbury Hospital, overseen by the Sydney Local Health District
2 sources
What people are saying
They're people who could have, or do have cancers, they're people who have heart disease and they need a bypass
So those patients who have breached their waiting times, some of them will be okay, but the problem is, some won't.
Patient safety and wellbeing remain our highest priorities, and we have worked urgently to minimise any impact on those affected,
I'm calling today for today a full and independent review with the findings to be made public,