Royal Adelaide Hospital

Ms COOK (Fisher) (14:36): My question is for the Minister for Health.

Mr Pengilly: Good luck!

Ms COOK: How are staff involved in the preparation for the move to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital?

The SPEAKER: The member for Finniss is called to order. Minister.

Mr Williams: Are you going to read another answer, Jack?

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop is warned. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:37): Planning for the move to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital is clearly an incredibly important and complex process. Along with the critical patient move, we will be relocating 6,000 staff, 1,000 volunteers and students and over 60 clinical services and specialties, as well as 177 years of significant and valuable medical history. To give you an idea, it is like picking up a suburb and moving it down the road to another suburb, picking up—

Mr Pisoni: A bit like Florey?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —every man, woman and child—

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —every man, woman and child in a suburb and moving them to the next suburb. It is an extremely complex logistical exercise. Staff training is now underway with a great level of excitement from our doctors, nurses and allied health workers as they spend time at their new workplace. As of this week, more than 1,000 staff have already been through on-site training at the new RAH.

The most critical part of the move to the new hospital will be clinical leadership and engagement. Late last year, a call was put out through the Central Adelaide Local Health Network for staff to be a key part of the preparations for the move to the new RAH. In a fantastic response, over 160 staff members representing every clinical directorate and statewide service volunteered to be a part of this change leadership group. These include surgery, medicine, critical care, allied health, outpatients, mental health, EPAS, corporate services, renal, cancer, SA Pathology, SA Pharmacy and SA Medical Imaging.

Having such a multidisciplinary group, which includes administration staff, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, senior radiographers and some of our most senior doctors, will make a big difference in ensuring the move is a success. These volunteers will help share information and provide feedback on communications, articulate the concerns of their colleagues, provide critical support during the move and, most importantly, spend time talking with colleagues about the issues most important to them.

The roles will support 10 recently appointed new RAH Clinical Champions—senior clinicians who are providing critical clinical leadership in the transition to the new RAH. I recently had the opportunity to meet a number of clinicians who have volunteered to be part of this group, and I have to say that I was impressed by their enthusiasm for the move to the new hospital and their willingness to take on such a critical role.

Can I express my thanks to each and every staff member involved in this very important work for taking the time out of their already busy roles and volunteering to support the change required to open the new RAH safely. There is no doubt that their contribution will go a long way in helping all staff prepare for the move to the new RAH.