Oakden Mental Health Facility

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): My question is to the Premier. Who is responsible for what the Chief Psychiatrist found in his report to be, and I quote, 'the substandard quality of infrastructure'?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:40): As the Chief Psychiatrist said to me, health services are run by clinicians not ministers. Fundamentally, the clinical leadership there was at fault. What we do know, though, is that there can be service failure in any institution; that's why we have in place a series of safeguards.

At the fairly basic level, there are the safeguards for people to make complaints to Health, and the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner provides opportunities for complaints to be made. The Community Visitor Scheme, which actually physically goes into facilities and observes for themselves, which fortunately, belatedly, at the end of this matter, was a crucial part of uncovering what was going on here, did work, although belatedly.

The Chief Psychiatrist has responsibilities under the act that empower him to monitor the services that occur within our mental healthcare system, and this was within his province of responsibility. Pretty fundamentally, the aged-care accreditation agency, which is charged with the very responsibility of looking through 44 standards of aged care in these facilities, was accrediting this facility, first, on a three-yearly basis when there was trouble in 2007 and then on a three-yearly basis as late as March of last year. In fact, they received a three-year accreditation.

But it is true that SA Health has its own governance issues, which should have caught this particular set of failings. There is no doubt about that, and there have been steps taken to change the leadership in the levels both directly at the facility and the next level above the facility. There is a range of staff who are the subject of disciplinary proceedings.

There are two categories of failure here. There is obviously the misbehaviour—the abuse and neglect—which can have no justification under any system, and those people are being dealt with through a disciplinary process, but then there are the cultural and broader issues, which were the lack of oversight and governance that occurred within our health agency. They need also to be grappled with, and they are being attended to by the minister and senior levels within SA Health.

But can I say this: at all times, the policy of this government has been to pursue service excellence in relation to every one of our health facilities—every single one of our health facilities—and overwhelmingly that's what we do achieve. It's also the policy of this government that every patient in every one of our facilities should be treated with dignity and respect.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is a principle of the way in which this government operates its facilities, and by and large we achieve that. It is also a principle of this government that we have zero tolerance for elder abuse, or indeed the abuse of any vulnerable person within this community. Assertive steps need to be taken to enforce those standards, and we make no apologies for taking strong and assertive steps to assert those standards.

Mr MARSHALL: Supplementary, sir?

The SPEAKER: Before we go to the supplementary, I call to order the members for Schubert, Davenport, Mount Gambier and the leader. I warn for the first time the members for Mount Gambier and Schubert, and I warn for the second and final time the member for Morialta, the deputy leader and the member for Mount Gambier. Leader.