Health Review

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:09): My question is again to the Minister for Health. What is the projected impact on full-time equivalent employee numbers of the Transforming Health proposals over the next three years?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:10): Much like we need to change our bed structure, we also need to change the structure of our workforce somewhat because, while we have more doctors and more nurses per head of population than any other Australian state or territory, we don't do the same with allied health. We need more allied health workers in our hospital system because it is physiotherapists, speech pathologists and podiatrists who are the workers who actually get people out of hospital.

A clinician quipped to me recently that doctors are very good at getting people into hospital, but it is the nurses and allied health workers who actually get them out of hospital. We need to invest in the number of allied health professionals because I am in no doubt that the fact that we are too light on with regard to allied health is one of the reasons why—

Ms Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —we have longer lengths of stay than comparable or peer hospitals interstate. That is certainly part of the health workforce that I want to see grow.

The SPEAKER: The member for Heysen is warned the first time. Leader.