The greatest challenge to the health care system in Australia, and other countries, is the escalating cost of technological advances, diagnostic and therapeutic, together with the costs of acute-bed hospital accommodation. It is obvious that only the largest hospitals can afford to provide all the complex expensive diagnostic technology, yet it is essential that it should be available to all levels of the Australian community. This can only be achieved by providing these services in the community (outside the hospital system) with private funding. The large hospitals, generally of teaching hospital status, can offer these services, but only to a very small proportion of the population (Australian Surgeon Volume 23, No. 1 Summer 1999)

Many intermediate and some more major operations are suitable for day surgery but are still being treated for two or more days in acute bed hospitals, both public and private. … Over the past 21 months, the Australian Day Surgery Council has considered a number of fundamental day surgery principles which will have a significant influence on the further expansion of Day Surgery in Australia (Australian Surgeon Winter 1998)

Day surgery services are provided in hospital based units, private and public, as well as in free-standing centres. Some hospitals have constructed separate free functioning day surgery units, however in many hospitals this ideal situation does not exist and day surgery patients are mixed with overnight stay patients. The cost advantage of day surgery is best achieved in free-standing centres or totally free-functioning units within acute bed hospitals. (Australian Surgeon Winter 1997)

The National Day Surgery Committee was formalised in 1985 to address standards for Day Surgery Facilities. In 1988 its scope was extended to advise on measures that would encourage the success of quality day surgery. The preparation of this paper is a continuation of this role to demonstrate the possible savings which may be achieved by a determined strategy to encourage a change in designated procedures from Overnight to Day Only surgery (Australian Surgeon December 1995)

The Chairman of the National Day Surgery Committee, Mr Lindsay Roberts, presented a speech at a national conference on health care delivery organised by I.I.R. Conferences in September, last. The speech was entitled “Day Surgery – The Past, Present and Future”, and the following is an edited version of the address (Australian Surgeon December 1994)

The construction and licensing of day surgery centres is a State responsibility and each State prepares its own mechanism for this purpose. Where a licence has been granted to a day surgery centre there is a simple process of registration with the Federal Government for the payment of day surgery facility insurance rebates. A separate body, the Australian Council on Health Care Standards is the accreditation organisation for the maintenance of standards (Australian Surgeon August 1993)

The Australian Association of Surgeons has taken a Pioneering role in Developing High Day Surgery Standards. A review of the years 1980 to 1990. (Australian Surgeon August 1990)

 The Guidelines have been drawn up by Mr Lindsay Roberts following in-depth study of the development of Day Surgery facilities in Australia and the USA. (Australian Surgeon August 1987)