Health Review

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question is also to the Minister for Health. Given the Royal College of Surgeons survey showing that 71 per cent of surgeons are now concerned with patient safety under the Transforming Health proposal, will the minister now cancel the downgrade of the emergency surgery at Modbury, Noarlunga and The Queen Elizabeth hospitals?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:18): These emergency departments aren't being downgraded: they are seeing exactly the same number of patients as they previously were. I am glad the deputy leader gives me another opportunity to talk about the wonderful changes between the Modbury and Lyell McEwin hospitals.

While it is early days—we have only seen these past few weeks—what have we seen? Two extra patients being transferred up to the Lyell McEwin. I well remember claims that the Lyell McEwin emergency department was going to be inundated. What have we seen? Lyell McEwin emergency department is in fact working better and getting its flow of patients through the emergency department better than it was.

Modbury Hospital continues to see 80 to 100 patients, looking after people who live in the north-east—people like my family—continuing to look after them in exactly the same way as it did before, admitting about the same number of patients as originally was the case, with two extra patients a day being transferred up to the Lyell McEwin Hospital. All the Chicken Littles running around, especially those opposite, with outrageous claims that the sky was going to fall in have all been disproven.

Of course, we still have more time to go, and I wouldn't be claiming victory yet. We still need to give these changes time to operate, but I do feel somewhat vindicated that these changes have happened. All the dire consequences that those opposite were talking about have not happened. I am confident that as we continue to roll out these important reforms we'll see exactly the same as we work through these reforms. Of course, we need to continue to work with our clinicians. It's important to have our clinicians informed, but I am very, very confident that as our clinicians see the benefits of these changes as we roll them out they will support them.