HOSPITAL SAFETY

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:26): My question is to the Minister for Health. What action is the state government undertaking to ensure a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors is maintained in our hospitals and other health facilities?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:27): I thank the member for Taylor for this question and I thank her as well for often representing me at health events when I am unable to attend. I know she has got a very strong interest in this area. The Building Code of Australia prescribes the minimum standards for new constructions. The code also adopts certain Australian standards which offer prescriptive construction or installation methodology to meet 'deemed to satisfy' solutions.

The code is revised on a regular basis, I am advised. Each revision applies to all buildings that are constructed within the time frame of the current revision and applies to current redevelopment works within existing buildings. The current requirements in the code do not apply to earlier buildings other than those development works being undertaken. Technically, existing buildings only need to be compliant with the code provisions that were applicable at the date of construction.

Many of our hospitals are, of course, ageing, and some older buildings are not compliant with recent versions of the building code. The government is funding a massive capital works program—some of it was referred to by the leader just recently—to rebuild or redevelop every single metropolitan public hospital. All new works will be compliant with the latest version of the Building Code of Australia.

SA Health prioritises the safety of all those who use the health system as patients, staff or visitors, and therefore goes to considerable effort to ensure that, where possible, modern and contemporary standards of safety are met, even in old buildings. To meet these challenges, in relation to fire safety in particular, SA Health has negotiated an arrangement with the Metropolitan Fire Service and the Country Fire Service for a triennial report on fire safety at all of the state hospitals. While the current requirements in the code do not apply to older hospital buildings, the Metropolitan Fire Service and the CFS assess all buildings against the current provisions of the code in the interest of fire safety.

The three yearly Metropolitan Fire service inspections allow major hospitals to develop an action plan to review and address issues that are raised in these reports.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is too much background noise.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: While triennial reports address fire safety issues, a fire master plan and action plan addresses both fire safety and condition issues and is, therefore, a more comprehensive review. Having a safe environment—

Dr McFetridge interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Just look in the letterbox. Just look in the letterbox, my friend. Having a safe environment, including regular reviews and action plans to address recommendations are an imperative requirement in achieving formal accreditation of the health service. Hospital accreditation processes specifically include a review of fire safety systems and practices, with particular reference to ensuring key recommendations of the MFS/CFS triennial reports are implemented.

The constant revision of standards in areas such as fire safety, earthquake proofing, electrical services, lifts and disability access presents a major challenge for existing buildings, and this is compounded in hospitals such as the existing Royal Adelaide Hospital which comprises very old buildings with subterranean tunnels across the site. It would be very complex and costly to bring the site to—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —a point to the member for Croydon—the current Building Code of Australia standard. I am glad someone was listening to what I was saying. I thank him very much for that. For example, at the existing RAH, some 30 separate fire safety projects have been funded over the past five years, including fire sprinkler installations, emergency and exit lighting, installation of fire doors, fire suppression systems and an emergency warning intercommunication system upgrade.

About 45 per cent of issues raised in the December 2009 MFS report (the most recent one) have been completed, and SA Health will work to address outstanding matters on a priority basis. As the new Royal Adelaide Hospital is an entirely new build, it will meet all of the latest building regulations and standards (yet another advantage of the new hospital). The new RAH will therefore have higher standards of fire safety, disability access and earthquake resistance than the current Royal Adelaide Hospital. The new RAH will also have higher environmental standards as well as better and more modern medical facilities than the current hospital.

In relation to our other hospitals, the Lyell McEwin Hospital is predominantly Building Code of Australia compliant and will be fully compliant at the completion of stage C (mentioned a little while ago by the Leader of the Opposition). The Queen Elizabeth Hospital patient accommodation is fully compliant, and the whole site will be compliant on the completion of the redevelopment works.

Works undertaken as part of stage 1 of the Flinders redevelopment will be fully compliant, and 32 of the 35 recommendations made in the June 2010 Metropolitan Fire Service report have been completed and all will be complete by the end of the financial year. However, we are aware there are issues on the remainder of the site to address the full fire master plan, and this will be funded over time in part through the SA Health compliance program.

Major works at Modbury Hospital and the Women's and Children's will ensure that extensive proportions of these sites are fully compliant. Extensive rebuilding at Ceduna (which was mentioned yesterday), Whyalla and Berri hospitals will make these sites predominantly compliant as well. The relatively newer hospitals at Mount Gambier and Port Augusta are predominantly compliant.

In relation to aged-care facilities, the commonwealth provided $16.1 million over the four years to 2009-10 for the upgrade of services at aged care facilities in country hospitals, and about $13 million supported fire safety compliance in that figure. So a lot has been done and there is more to be done still. I thank the member for the question.