Health Performance Council reports

For copies of Health Performance Council reports not available below, email HealthHealthPerformanceCouncil@sa.gov.au.

Room to improve patient flow, 2023-24

The Room to improve patient flow, 2023-24 (released June 2025) (PDF 793KB) report is our second major look at length of stay variation in metropolitan Adelaide public acute hospitals. It is a follow-up to our 2023 analysis. This update report finds that if the average length of stay for acute overnight patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital was the same as similar patients at other hospitals in Adelaide (after adjusting for differences in complexity), at least 54 and possibly up to 62 beds could be released to admit other patients, representing the potential to admit about another 4,600 patients per year.

Comparison of state and territory health workforce culture survey results, April 2024

The Comparison of state and territory health workforce culture survey results (released April 2024) (PDF 598KB) contains recommendations that reflect a need for SA Health to improve openness, transparency and consistency in the collection, availability and application of its workforce survey results. An open data approach leads to improved staff engagement and its flow-on effect of improved patient safety.

Length of stay variation in metropolitan Adelaide public acute hospitals

The Length of stay variation in metropolitan Adelaide public acute hospitals report (released September 2023) (PDF 766KB) finds that if the Royal Adelaide Hospital reduced average length of stay for its acute overnight inpatient stays to the same as in other hospitals in metropolitan Adelaide for similar patients in 2021-22, it would make available the equivalent of approximately 40 additional beds, or approximately 3,000 additional inpatient hospitalisations per year. If patient flow efficiency at the Royal Adelaide Hospital could be improved, it would help address health system access issues such as ambulance ramping and long waiting times.

Monitoring the performance of the South Australian health system 2018-19 to 2021-22, November 2022

This Monitoring the performance of the South Australian health system 2018-19 to 2021-22 (released November 2022) (PDF 2MB) is our most recent major four-yearly review for the South Australian Minister for Health and Wellbeing, a requirement under the Health Care Act 2008. It monitors the performance of South Australian health systems, the health of South Australians and changes in health outcomes over the four-year reporting period across five main areas:

  1. Getting access to care, including wait times
  2. Outcomes: Preventable mortality and morbidity
  3. Costs of hospital care
  4. Staffing services: workforce
  5. South Australia’s Covid-19 response.

SA Health formal response to our 2022 four-yearly review (PDF 210KB) was released in March 2023.

Annual reports

2020 Health Performance Council reports

2019 Health Performance Council reports

2018 Health Performance Council reports