Ambulance Services

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Health. If South Australian Ambulance staff have all the support they need, as just stated by the minister, why then did SA Ambulance staff take a patient to the Modbury Hospital before having to then transfer that patient to the Lyell McEwin Hospital?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:56): Because they would have done so based on the clinical indications of the patient. I don't think there is any suggestion from anyone, and I would be very surprised if the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is making the suggestion, that the paramedics handling a particular patient have done so ineptly. I would be pretty surprised and certainly reject that.

I am sure the paramedics would have done so in accordance with the clinical indications that they had. As I have said previously, it is not unusual, if an emergency department is particularly busy, for an ambulance to go to a close-by emergency department that is less busy if it is clinically appropriate to do so. I have not heard of any suggestion in any patient where that has not been the case.