Royal Adelaide Hospital Residential Wing

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:28): I would like to put on the record some concerns I have, not just for the people of Chaffey, but for all regional South Australians who travel to Adelaide for medical procedures, or to accompany a loved one who is having a medical procedure or has fallen ill. Constituents have come into my office with a growing list of concerns about where they are going to stay in times of need and ill-health.

There is also a group of constituents—mostly mothers—that have come to me with concerns. There have been situations where their pregnant daughter or friend of the family has had complications in that pregnancy and has had to travel to Adelaide. As some people in this chamber would know—not many of the men, but I am sure the women—if there are complications before a certain time during pregnancy, the expectant mother has to remain in hospital, sometimes for an extended period. For a loved one to come down and look after them and give them company and support, it is becoming harder, and it is only going to get harder.

In recent times, I have recommended that people go to the residential wing at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and from the feedback I have received, the accommodation has been invaluable. It is not five-star, but it is affordable, clean and very acceptable for people who are travelling and can ill-afford to fork out large amounts of money for accommodation while they are going through a process of looking after someone who is having medical treatment, whether it is for cancer, a procedure or a childbirth. The residential wing of the Royal Adelaide Hospital currently offers that short-term, low-cost accommodation to individuals from the country or interstate who have those appointments at the RAH. As I understand it, it is currently about $28 a night, and I think that is outstanding service.

Last year, I was approached by a person in a wheelchair and his partner, who had previously stayed at the residential wing at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and they were low-income earners and were required to stay in Adelaide for health services at the RAH which were not performed in the Riverland. They went, again, to utilise the residential wing at the RAH and they were told that, due to OH&S requirements, wheelchair access was no longer available in the residential wing. I would have thought that providing OH&S and providing services would have got better over recent years, but it appears that the government have just decided to let it slip and put OH&S regulation in front of people badly needing assistance, and now these people are not able to have any form of affordable accommodation.

I wrote to the health minister, concerned about the lack of available services for people needing wheelchair access, and what I have been told is that the new RAH will not have the same form of accommodation or support for people travelling down to Adelaide. Again, the questions have been asked of the minister, and as he said, it did not conform to current OH&S requirements. But it is disappointing that the regional people of South Australia, particularly our low-income earners, are being disadvantaged. They are being told they have to go and find accommodation elsewhere—something that has been there as a service to South Australians.

People of regional South Australia are not the only people who use this residential wing. There are some that want to remain close to their loved one: those who are very ill, going through a procedure or are about to give birth. Now, they are having to stay elsewhere or they are having to remain home in their rural setting. That is just totally not acceptable. It does appear that this type of accommodation will not continue at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital when it is finally finished, and as the minister said today, we are not sure when it is going to be open—very disappointing.

But I would like to acknowledge the Cancer Council lodges, the Leukaemia Foundation apartments, the Heartbeat Houses, the caravan parks that give discounts, and Aboriginal patients can be serviced by I guess hostel-style accommodation, so I thank them for their help.

Time expired.