Lyell McEwin Hospital

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister tell the house what were the 10 high rated risks identified by the independent project management officer with respect to the transfer of services from Modbury Hospital to the Lyell McEwin Hospital, and has the minister had subsequent advice as to whether these high rated risks have been adequately addressed?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:10): All the risks that the Auditor-General is referring to are financial risks. Principally, he is talking about the ability of the department to deliver savings. I haven't been briefed on that particular section of the Auditor-General's Report, but I imagine that is what he is referring to.

I know that he makes general comments about risks to the project, but it is very important to point out that he is not referring to clinical risks. He is talking purely of the ability to extract savings as we go through the Transforming Health process. It is very important to point out, and I have consistently said every time I have been asked about it, that the first priority with Transforming Health is to get better clinical outcomes for patients.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: It is working very well—working very, very well. I am glad the member for Unley asked me because, in fact, I can go into quite a bit of detail about what things have been achieved through Transforming Health.

Since we started Transforming Health, we have seen a reduction in the average length of stay in our metropolitan hospitals, which means that South Australian patients are spending seven hours less in our hospitals this year when compared with last year. It is an average seven-hour reduction in the length of time our patients are having to spend in hospital because of Transforming Health. Patients are being treated more quickly in our emergency departments, spending, on average, around 22 minutes less in our metropolitan emergency departments this year.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: the minister is no longer referring to the 10 risks identified in the Auditor-General's Report, which is what the question was about.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. Member for Morphett.