Health Review

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): Can the minister advise the house what level emergency department will continue at the Noarlunga Hospital? Will it be a level 4 emergency department?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:07): Essentially, as I have said many times in this place, it will continue doing primarily what it is doing at the moment, and that is, seeing, treating and discharging patients who present. That is not to downplay the important nature of the presentations that go to Noarlunga Hospital, that most people are requiring urgent medical treatment, it is just that they are able to be given that treatment and discharged and they don't require admission to hospital. Any changes that we are talking about with regard to Noarlunga Hospital are with regard to those patients who need to be admitted, about half of whom who are actually admitted not to the Noarlunga Hospital but to the Flinders Medical Centre.