House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Flinders Medical Centre FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE Mr HAMILTON-SMITH House of Assembly Waite FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (14:42): My question is again to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Is he concerned that the design of the new Flinders emergency department his government has built makes it difficult for patients to be admitted if there is a surge in ambulance arrivals, as the ambulance union claimed this morning? The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly Kaurna Minister for Health and Ageing Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Minister for the Arts FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (14:42): I heard the comments made by Phil Palmer in the media interview this morning, and that is obviously one of the issues that the independent investigator can consider in his team's investigation of the hospital. Bear in mind that the advice about how the emergency department should be constructed very much came from the doctors who run the emergency department at the hospital, so if they got it wrong it is as a result of the design that they wanted. I understand they were very happy with the design— Ms Chapman interjecting: The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: No, I am just merely pointing out that there would be a difference of opinion as to whether or not it is a good design. The ambulance union has a view about it— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: —presumably the doctors have another view; that is just another reflection, I guess, of the issues we are dealing with at that particular hospital. We will get an independent person to have a look at it and give some advice and, if there need to be alterations to the design, I am sure we can consider those as well.