Palliative Care

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:39): There were multiple references in Professor Keefe's statements regarding the new location that there was a new model of palliative care, and we would be grateful if you could make it clear to the house what this new model of palliative care actually is.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:39): I am more than happy to have a look and see if there is a particular document that Professor Keefe was referring to. However, I will point out that on the working group there was representation of consumers, nurses, doctors, people involved in The Repat Daw House service, and their view was unanimous that Flinders Medical Centre and the new facility that we are building there was the best of the options that they had available in front of them.

If you want to talk about changes in the practice of palliative care, I am more than happy. I could talk extensively about that. The simple fact is that the way we provide palliative care has significantly changed. Whereas, before, you would go into a hospice basically to die, the way we provide palliative care now, you are more likely to spend some time in a hospice to get any symptoms that you have under control before returning home.

I think there are about 15 beds at Daw House, there will be 15 beds in the new facility at the Flinders Medical Centre, but that is just a very small fraction of the total number of patients who are being looked after by the Southern Adelaide Palliative Care Service. There are patients in aged care, patients at home and, indeed, patients elsewhere in hospitals who rely upon palliative care services. So, I am not sure if that is of assistance to the Leader of the Opposition but, if it is not, I am more than happy to see if there is some other documentation and I am more than happy to make it available to him.