Modbury Hospital

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister advise what investment the government has made and what works have been done at Modbury Hospital since its return to the public health system in 2007?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:05): I thank the member for Florey for her question and acknowledge what a champion she is of the Modbury Hospital. She has worked tirelessly as member for Florey and, indeed, prior to entry into this place—

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I thought the member for Finniss was so poorly he was not to interject today.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —with regard to the Modbury Hospital. The government has been dedicated to improving the Modbury Hospital since it returned to the public health system in 2007. Not only did Labor reverse the previous Liberal government's disastrous privatisation of Modbury Hospital management, it has invested in modernising the hospital to provide world-class health services for people in our north-eastern suburbs.

The SPEAKER: Is not the Minister for Health's reference to 'disastrous' commentary?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I am sorry, sir, I withdraw that. It was poor of me—oversight. I am sorry. This includes—

The SPEAKER: Member for Davenport.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: That's a new tie.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: It is a new tie. Mr Speaker, the question asked the minister to outline all the work done on Modbury Hospital since 2002. All that information is presented in the capital works statements in the budgets presented since that time. All of that information is publicly available to the house already, sir.

The SPEAKER: Minister.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I know the opposition don't want me to talk about the huge investment this government has made and its dedication to the Modbury Hospital.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Yes, point of order.

Mr PISONI: The minister is not responsible for the opposition, and yet he is referring to the opposition in the answer to his question.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the member for Unley's point of order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: This includes a significant investment in Modbury's ED. In January this year, I opened the new $17.4 million ED at Modbury Hospital—this is the one the Leader of the Opposition said hadn't happened. This bigger and better ED has almost doubled the treatment and assessment bays from 23 to 40 and gives patients greater privacy, confidentiality and dignity. It has a secure four-bay paediatric area that allows for any children to be seen and treated away from the general population in a defined area.

Importantly, the new emergency department has a dedicated low-stimulation area to improve health outcomes for mental health patients by allowing treatment in a more clinically appropriate area removed from the distractions of a noisy and busy ED. The redevelopment project also included two upgraded resuscitation areas, these new rapid-assessment bays, a new isolation room, a new gynaecology room, and a new plaster room and procedure room.

To deal with increasing demand, 44 extra car-parking spaces have been created in the public area and eight additional car parks in the staff area. The new rehab ward will soon open at Modbury Hospital. This built-for-purpose ward will mean more people in Adelaide's northern suburbs—

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Florey.

Ms BEDFORD: In my 17 years in this place, I have never screamed over the top of any other member's answer. I would like to be able to hear the answer to my question, which affects—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I uphold the member for Florey's point of order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: This built-for-purpose ward will mean more people in Adelaide's northern suburbs will receive health care in their local community. It boasts 20 new beds for rehabilitation patients, increasing capacity from eight to 28 beds, which include several single rooms with ensuites. The ward features a new state of the art rehab therapy area with equipment for rehabilitation patients to receive physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and a kitchen to stimulate activity in a home environment.

The state government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to significantly expand hospital facilities in the north and the north-east to enable better care and treatment. Better care and treatment is at the heart of transforming health. This means listening to doctors, nurses and allied health workers in our hospitals who right now are caring for South Australians, and taking advice from these clinicians on how best to transform our health system for the years and decades to come. Any changes will not reduce services—

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Mount Gambier.

Mr BELL: I know time stands still when the Minister for Health speaks but that clock has not moved for at least three minutes.

The SPEAKER: I will be bringing back the Crvena Zvezda stopwatch.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I expect to be able to tell you more about this in a future sitting.