Bills

Health Care (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill

Final Stages

Consideration in committee of the Legislative Council's message.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I move:

That the Legislative Council's amendments be agreed to.

The Health Care (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2015 amends the Health Care Act 2008 to enable the licensing of stand-alone, private day procedure centres in the South Australian sector which has grown substantially over the past 20 years. Many complex, invasive and high-risk surgeries and procedures that previously required an overnight hospital stay are now increasingly being done on a day-only basis. The regulation of private day procedure centres provides a range of measures to ensure that potential safety and quality risks are addressed, as the regulator of SA Health will have the ability to undertake inspections and ensure appropriate responses to any issues of concern raised through the national standards accreditation process or other means.

The bill also amends the act to remove the prescribed limit on hospital bed numbers, allowing the private hospital sector to expand and complement the public health system and meeting demands of the increasingly ageing population. The other changes around updating the standards of construction, facilities and equipment enabling private hospitals to provide services at approved off-site locations and providing for the inclusion of fees for licence variations on a cost-recovery basis all improve the administrative functioning of the act.

In summary, these changes modernise private health facility licensing arrangements and bring South Australia into alignment with other state and territory jurisdictions. I thank members in both houses for their contributions and support for the bill.

Motion carried.