HEALTH PROGRAMS

66 Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (1 June 2010). How much funding was allocated in 2008-09 and 2009-10 for each of the following programs—TeamSTEPPS, bringing nurses back into the workforce projects, blood safe projects, and any other safety and quality projects?

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): I am advised:

TeamSTEPPS^TM is an acronym for Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety. In 2008-09 a total of $135,800 was allocated to the program and a further $185,000 was allocated in 2009-10.

Bringing Nurses Back into the Workforce (BNBW) was an Australian Government initiative aimed to encourage nurses and midwives to return to the workforce by providing bonus payments to eligible nurses/midwives at 6 and 18 months following demonstration of continuous regular employment across these periods. In 2008-09 $78,808 was allocated to eligible participants and employers (this includes amounts paid in 2009-10 for claims relating to 2008-09). In 2009-10 $122,764 was allocated to eligible participants and employers.

BloodSafe is an ongoing collaboration between the South Australian Department of Health, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, South Australian public and private hospitals and their transfusion service providers. In 2008-09 a total of $0.91 million was allocated to the program, while funding in 2009-10 of $1,370,572 was allocated. The increased funding in 2009-10 was inclusive of new Commonwealth funding to support a national rollout of the BloodSafe developed transfusion e-Learning Program.

Other safety and quality projects include consumer engagement, open disclosure, healthcare associated infections, patient identification, clinical handover (additional to the TeamSTEPPS project above), medication safety, falls prevention, pressure ulcer program, workforce and staff patient safety survey. The funding allocated to these programs was $1.59 million in 2008-09 and $0.83 million in 2009-10.