Enterprise Patient Administration System

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:09): My question is to the Minister for Health. When will the EPAS system be fully implemented and operational at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, and does this latest delay in the rollout of the EPAS affect the overall budget for this EPAS project?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Before the minister answers, there was no need for the members for Stuart and Kavel to interject during the asking of the question. Accordingly, the member for Stuart is warned for the second and final time, and the member for Kavel is called to order. The minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:10): The answer to the first question is: within about six months of us moving into the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. Let me be quite clear though to the house—

Mr Goldsworthy: Don't hold your breath.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kavel is warned.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: He has been doing it all day, sir. About six months after the opening of the new RAH, we expect EPAS to be fully operational at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. Let's be quite clear: the reasons are not because EPAS is not ready or won't be ready for implementation. The reason we are staggering it is so that the clinicians who are orientating themselves to a new hospital with a very different working environment do not have an additional complexity of a new IT system like EPAS to have to get used to at the same time.

Based upon expert clinical advice, a decision has been taken to stagger the rollout, so we will move in to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and then approximately six months later we will have EPAS full operationality. EPAS will be partly operating at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, so we will be using parts of it that are safe for us to use, that are not overly complex and provide good patient care. So there will be aspects of EPAS that will be there from day one, with full operationality about six months after us moving into the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The SPEAKER: Can the minister address the question of the cost?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: With regard to cost, no, I do not expect that there would be any additional cost.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Stuart is on two warnings. I call to order the members for Morialta, Davenport and Schubert. I warn the member for Morialta for the first time and I warn for the second and final time the member for Kavel. The member for Little Para.