Sydney Hospital Apologises for Elective Surgery Blunder After Referrals Sent to Unmonitored Inbox

A Sydney health district has apologised to patients after discovering an unmonitored inbox containing over 3,000 unread emails, including elective surgery referrals, at Canterbury Hospital.

The Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) launched a review after finding the inbox held approximately 3,400 emails, including 16 patient referrals, some of which dated back to late 2025.

Four of those patients were classified as Category One, meaning surgery is recommended within 30 days. Twelve were classed as Category Two, meaning surgery is recommended within 90 days.

SLHD said it initiated a review as soon as the issue was identified and that all affected patients were being contacted to have their surgeries rescheduled.

"The review is being undertaken and we'll look to each patient's situation separately and work through the issues carefully," SLHD chief executive Deborah Willcox said.

A risk warning was issued to patients as some emails dated back to late 2025.

The AMA warned of a significant risk to the health of Category One patients. NSW president of the Australian Medical Association Fred Betros said, "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," he said.

An SLHD spokesperson stated that treating surgeons had been contacted to ensure each patient received an appropriate clinical review and prioritisation, and that admission dates had been urgently allocated to prevent further delays.

"These include clearer staff accountabilities, strengthened governance arrangements, enhanced monitoring processes and increased executive oversight of admissions workflows," the spokesperson said.

The Opposition has called for an independent review, with Shadow Minister for South-west Sydney Mark Coure saying, "I'm calling today for today a full and independent review with the findings to be made public."

"The health minister needs to explain how this happened, why wasn't it picked up sooner and whether other hospitals are in the same position," he said.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has been contacted for comment.

The incident comes as NSW Health is reportedly offering voluntary redundancies to non-frontline staff across the state as part of a restructure.