Queen Elizabeth Hospital

In reply to Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (13 October 2015).

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries): Subsequent to the relocation of the rehabilitation services and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) emerging focus on sub-acute services, TQEH will continue to provide a 24/7 emergency department and will provide urgent care, with life threatening emergencies directed to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (new RAH).

TQEH will have a focus on multi day elective surgery and continue to provide many inpatient general and specialty medicine services TQEH will develop a specialised role with particular expertise in subacute services, including geriatrics, palliative care and rehabilitation. It will be the location for the statewide services of spinal injury and brain injury rehabilitation.

The wards (especially wards located on the ground level) will need to be reconfigured to accommodate 72 rehabilitation beds. In planning services moves, the needs of patients are always the top priority to ensure these is provision of an excellent level of care and access as currently experienced within each specialty unit.