Parliamentary Committees

PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE: BERRI HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT

Adjourned debate on motion of Mrs Vlahos:

That the 391^st report of the committee, on the Berri Hospital redevelopment, be noted.

(Continued from 23 February 2011.)

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (11:43): I rise to conclude my remarks on the Berri Hospital redevelopment. I will start by speaking about the mental health facility that will be included in this project. The six mental health beds that will be part of this project—two Limited Treatment Centre (LTC) beds plus four Intermediate Care Centre (ICC) step-up/step-down beds—are configured so that their use is as flexible as possible. With these, patients will have access to a secure court for their own activity and dining area.

There will also be a maternal and neonatal component of the project. This provision is for a level 3 service and it is envisaged with the capacity to accommodate all Riverland birthing, with the exception of high-risk pregnancies. The two birthing suites are not counted in the 38-bed total; however, access to a third larger inpatient room will act as an 'overflow demand' birthing space as required.

The project works are a combination of redevelopment, new works and infrastructure upgrade. The nature of these works is such that there are a number of key interdependencies between the components of work in order that the works proceed in a timely manner. Accordingly, the project works are being delivered in a number of phases focused on optimising the program and the facilities delivery components. A managing contractor will be used to manage the construction of the project and will be responsible for the tendering work packages and supervising all of these works.

This form of procurement includes a managing contractor as a key stakeholder and the success of the project, with the objective shared by the client and the professional services contractors. The process of selecting and managing a contractor is being managed by DTEI. Given the above and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to the parliament that it recommends the proposed public works.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:45): I rise to give support to this project, this much-needed redevelopment of the Riverland Regional Hospital. I welcome the $41 million budget that has been assigned to the redevelopment of the hospital; that has been a long time coming. I must say that the delays along the way have been a little frustrating. We have been promised many times that the project is about to get under way, but to hear today that it has had a passage through the Public Works Committee is welcome news, and it is another step closer.

It is major infrastructure project in Berri in the Riverland, and it is a very much needed major infrastructure project. It is almost like a shot in the arm for the region, particularly for people who have had to do so much travel to Adelaide for specialised services. I think that is one of the major issues with living in the country, being a regional citizen. If there are any specialised services needed, it is always at the cost of that particular person or their family.

It is not just monetary cost; it is the inconvenience of having to travel. In most cases it is a three-hour, one-way journey from the Riverland down to Adelaide, but it is also the ongoing burden. Normally, a trip to the hospital does not entail a one-day visit; it is a number of days. The burden comes from being away from the family, from loved ones, particularly if there is an illness in the family or if people are sick, it really is a testing time for one's mental health.

It also is an incentive for people who are contemplating moving to the region. Madam Speaker, as you would well understand, living in a country region it is always welcome to have new people to come to the region, but when they come to that region they normally have to assess where they are contemplating moving. They would look at whether there is infrastructure in place—good hospital, good schools, good facilities, whether the police station is somewhere close. Those facilities are what normally help people make that decision to come to a region. Again, I think the upgrade of the regional hospital will be a feather in the region's cap.

I do have a couple of questions. The budget was drawn up in 2008-09—$41 million—and the completion is for 2013. If you look at the completion date of 2013, is there a potential for a budget shortfall for the completion of that hospital? And, if there is going to be financial pressure put on the completion of that hospital, will there be any particular sections of that hospital that will take the fall? That is something that is giving everyone concern because those services within that redevelopment are vital to the conception of having a regional hospital that will address the needs of the people in Chaffey.

Also, one particular area of specialised services is the chemotherapy hub. One of the most important complementary assets for a chemotherapy hub is a pharmacy service. As I understand it, the pharmacy has not come within the budget of the redevelopment. So, that is something I stand here today to make sure that the minister is aware of. He would well know that a pharmacy must be part of that chemotherapy hub.

The new upgraded hospital will require more staff, more specialised staff, with more specialised facilities. Is there any form of attraction for those health professionals? Are there any incentives for those health professionals to make a decision to make the journey from where they currently live, currently train, or currently practise, and come to the Riverland? I indicate to the minister that there needs to be incentives to get those professionals out to the regions because, as every regional hospital, professional facility or medical facility would understand, it is very hard to entice those medical professionals out to the country.

The community consultation program: I ask of the minister that the community people become involved with the redevelopment of that hospital because that is the fabric of what is already in existence. The country hospitals are embraced by the townspeople, and when I say that I mean the fundraising, the cake and scone days, and the money that is put into giving those extra services or those extra comforts that a hospital is always looking for.

Just as an example, some of the Riverland hospitals have fundraising days just to put TVs in rooms. I am sure that a lot of people in metropolitan Adelaide hospitals expect a TV to be up on the wall when they go into hospital. I know that at Loxton and at Renmark there have been fundraisers to put the TVs on the walls. There have been fundraisers to have painting programs so that they can paint the skirting boards and they can paint the damaged walls that also often happen. So, having that community consultation program to embrace the community people, the people who are there to support the hospital, is vitally important.

With completion of the hospital in 2013, there is one thing that I would mention to the government and, in particular, the minister: would he see city patients come to Berri to have those medical procedures performed? We see so often that Adelaide hospitals are at capacity or past capacity and that there are huge waiting lists for people to have procedures done in Adelaide. We see that in a lot of country hospitals there are vacant beds and theatres that are vacant. Why can't we manoeuvre some of those patients from the city up to the country and make use of those facilities, particularly a facility like the Riverland Regional Hospital that is just about to have some $41 million spent on it?

I must say that I welcome the chair of the committee overseeing this project to the mental health department. The Chaffey region has been through some significantly tough times over the last five or six years, particularly through drought, water restrictions and commodity prices. Again, that is putting added pressure on the mental health of a lot of those farmers, irrigators and community people because it is one big revolving door: if the farmers, the irrigators, and the food producers are all moving along okay, the community is working just nicely. It is good to see that they have recognised that a mental health department is needed at the regional hospital, and it is a much-welcomed department in the hospital.

I wish the redevelopment a swift passage to completion, and look forward to it being up and running and having people going through the doors.

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (11:54): I will make some brief supporting comments. I am delighted that this project is finally being considered by parliament. It is a welcome initiative not just because it will serve the Riverland area but I think it is a step towards helping to ensure that country people get a better service in terms of their medical needs. It might seem strange as a city member to be saying that, but the reality is that people who live in regional and country areas of South Australia generally have poorer health outcomes than people who live in the city.

In my electorate, we have nearby Flinders Medical Centre. Residents have access to other facilities in Adelaide and anyone who takes time to visit regional country areas in South Australia will know that people often have to travel a long way to get treatment, and they often have poorer outcomes because there is often less awareness of some of the potential health issues that can arise.

I think it is important that we are the Parliament of South Australia and we have a responsibility to all South Australians to ensure that wherever they live they have adequate and top quality medical and hospital facilities. I welcome this report and I look forward to the speedy completion of this project so that the people of the Riverland can (enjoy is not the right word) receive the best quality hospital treatment.

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (11:56): Last week I had the pleasure of being the guest of the member for Chaffey in the Riverland, and I thank him for his hospitality and for facilitating the meetings and community forums that we had. It was a worthwhile time and part of that visit was getting a briefing from the people associated with the Berri Hospital redevelopment. It was a comprehensive briefing. We were shown the plans showing the new areas that were going to be added on and redeveloped. It is a terrific thing to be happening. It is overdue, we do know that—and I won't labour on that because I think the government knows that it should have done it in a more timely fashion—but we are very pleased to have it.

Berri Hospital will be one of the four general hospitals that is being established under this government's country health initiatives, along with Mount Gambier, Port Lincoln and Whyalla. Berri Hospital, though, has been long overdue for this upgrade, with one operating theatre and treatment room, and other facilities which were getting very tired. It is a good example of what can be done with a facility that needs to be upgraded and turned into a state-of-the-art facility, as we know could have been done down the road at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The people in the Riverland who have been doing it tough are overdue for this facility. I heard stories last week when I was there with the member for Chaffey, Tim Whetstone, about people having to wait six weeks to see a GP—it is just not good enough. To have specialists driving hours and hours to the Riverland so that they can see their patients and then do surgery—it is just not good enough.

We need to make sure that the great facilities there are controlled by the local communities because the HAC members who I spoke to were very concerned that they had been sidelined on many occasions. They want to be listened to, they want to contribute, but it is not working like the old boards, and we need to make sure that not only do we provide good facilities but also that we have a good community that is providing good backup—because they are all good committees—and that the health advisory councils are being given the support they need and being listened to, and not paid lip service by this government, so that they can attract the workforce that is needed.

Flinders University is providing a fantastic facility by training doctors, nurses, and paramedics. We need to ensure that they have the best facilities and the best living accommodation possible to make sure that we attract somebody to stay there. It is very important that health services in the Riverland are not only being assisted by this redevelopment but also that we ensure their standard of service is maintained for many years to come. I do not know whether the government is looking at the Mt Gambier model of interns and registrars for the four general hospitals. It is an interesting model, and I think it could be expanded to provide 24-hour services in some of our general hospitals, for A&E particularly.

We do know that River Doc's, an agency, is providing after hours emergency services at Berri; we know that the A&E at Renmark was closed down, much to the concern of local residents up there, particularly when you have Flinders University providing a medical school right next door. It is a bit of a worry. The need to complete this facility, the new redevelopment, as soon as possible is something that I strongly support, and I look forward to seeing the development and to being there when the new facility is opened in 2013.

Motion carried.