MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS

135 Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (27 July 2010).

1. What is the net increase in nurses (full-time equivalent positions) in the South Australian public health system for each year since 2002?

2. How many of these nurses were from overseas and what countries did they come from?

3. What is the net increase in doctors (full-time equivalent positions) in the South Australian public health system for each year since 2002?

4. How many of these doctors were from overseas and what countries did they come from?

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:

The following response is based on the standard 'full time equivalent (FTE)', which is used to describe a part-time employee as a proportion of an employee in an equivalent full-time position. This FTE description is based on the number of hours paid/worked by an employee as depicted in their pay summary, divided by the normal award full-time hours per pay period for that position. For the purposes of this definition, an employee can not be greater than 1.0 FTE. It excludes any overtime hours or allowances not reflective of hours worked (for example, travel allowance).

The South Australian public health system, for the purposes of this report, includes all health regions and entities of the SA Health portfolio, excluding the Department of Health (central office) and the SA Ambulance Service.

From 1 July 2007, Modbury Hospital transferred back to public management. Previously the variation in doctors and nurses/midwives at Modbury Hospital prior to June 2008 had not been included in the reported figures.

To accurately report the workforce for 2008 and subsequent years, an estimated doctors and nurses/midwives at Modbury Hospital for 2002 has been included in the base calculations for the total public health system.

Doctors include all persons employed as medical officers, medical practitioners, medical consultants, medical administrators, casual medical officers, trainee medical officers or visiting medical specialists. This report excludes those engaged as Clinical Academics.

Nurses and Midwives include all persons engaged under the Nurses (South Australian Public Sector) Award 2002, and includes all registered nurses/midwives, enrolled nurses, enrolled nurse cadets, nurse specialists, undergraduate nurses (assistants in nursing), nurse educators, clinical nurses and nurse managers.

Given the above definitions, the following information is provided:

1. The standard FTE of Doctors and Nurses/Midwives employed in the SA Health public health system from June 2002 to June 2010:

2. At June 2010 the Doctors and Nursing/Midwifery FTE workforce in the South Australian public health system reported the following Country of Birth and Arrival Dates to Australia prior and post June 2002;

(a) Country of Birth is based on the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC) defined area. (Australian Bureau of Statistic (ABS), Australian Standard Classification of Countries (SACC), second edition (category number. 1269.0)).

(b) Country of Birth and Arrival Date to Australia are not compulsory fields in the Human Resource Management System (CHRIS), and relies on self identification, therefore discretion should be used when analysing these numbers.