Royal Adelaide Hospital

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (14:35): My question is directed to the Minister for Health. What training is being undertaken by staff at the new RAH to ensure that the hospital will be ready to receive patients in September?

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:35): Oh, you! Oh, dear, Leader of the Opposition, goodness me. I thank the member for Ashford for this very important question.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I know the Leader of the Opposition shifts uncomfortably in his seat whenever the new Royal Adelaide Hospital is discussed in this place. I know he feels very uncomfortable when we start talking about the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Mr van Holst Pellekaan interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: It's dawned on him how much trouble he's in.

The SPEAKER: The member for Stuart is warned.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: We know the knives are being sharpened on the other side of the house. We know that the Leader of the Opposition can't control the backbench.

The SPEAKER: The minister—

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: They rolled him on pharmacy changes.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health will be seated. I have told the Leader of the Opposition that if he makes another utterance outside standing orders he will be ejected under the sessional order. It's very hard for me to do that while the Minister for Health is provoking him.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Thank you, sir, for your wise guidance. Staff training currently underway at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital is critical to ensuring the hospital is ready to receive patients.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: You read your questions. Fancy someone who can't even commit a question to memory criticising a minister for reading an answer. Isn't that the most extraordinary thing you've ever heard? He can't even keep his questions in his head, so he has to have them written down for him, and then when he hears the answer he doesn't even know how to change the question. It's just extraordinary. I digress.

We need to know that when patients come through hospital doors in September our staff have everything they need to provide lifesaving medical care, and scenario testing is a major part of this. I had the honour to recently witness one such test, which tested staff response to a motor vehicle accident victim being brought to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital via helicopter in a critical condition.

As part of the training, the patient was required to be assessed and stabilised by ED staff before being taken to a technical suite for emergency procedure before being transferred to ICU. Around 27 staff participated in the scenario, including a trauma surgeon, ED doctor, ED nurse, X-ray technician and MedSTAR clinicians. Around 20 staff observed and evaluated the scenario. I was incredibly impressed with the professionalism and dedication of all clinicians and staff during the test. All knew they had a job to do and took their role extremely seriously.

Scenario testing is an invaluable tool in refining critical processes in our new hospital. The scenario I witnessed demonstrated how the modern design of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital will function in a real-life medical emergency. All the critical care areas at the new RAH are stacked on top of each other. This includes the emergency department, pathology and blood transfusion, technical suites, intensive care unit and the helipad.

Mr Bell: How far do they have to go for the records?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I'm happy not to engage with the opposition, but the member for Mount Gambier is essentially heckling me from the back row. I don't mind, but I will respond. This means that in a trauma situation when time is absolutely of the essence, the building's design will ensure that patients receive lifesaving medical care as quickly as possible. This will assist staff greatly as they deal with life and death situations. While in real life the situation would happen very quickly, the scenarios generally take a few hours, stopping and starting so that staff can discuss the next steps, work through alternative options and take note of any issues.

These scenarios allow staff to learn about the new environment and technology, establishing what is working well and resolving what needs to be improved before they can begin caring for patients. I am told that staff have now completed 18 of the 20 scenarios, which have also included a suspected Ebola case, mental health presentation, bomb threat and fire evacuation. As we approach the September opening, I continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of our clinicians and staff who will be providing lifesaving care every day at our new Royal Adelaide Hospital.