Ministerial Statement

Oakden Mental Health Facility

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:07): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I give this ministerial statement on behalf of the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. I rise to inform the house about the closure of the Makk and McLeay wards at Oakden and the relocation of residents to Northgate Aged Care. I can inform the house that all 14 residents from the Makk and McLeay wards were relocated to the Northgate aged-care facility on Wednesday 14 June. A further 15 Oakden residents have previously moved to the residential aged-care sector. A dedicated transition team worked with residents' families throughout the relocation process to ensure the move had minimal impact on residents.

The move means that the government has now closed the Makk and McLeay wards in line with the recommendations of the Chief Psychiatrist's review of Oakden. The state government has accepted all six recommendations of the review and continues to implement them. This includes providing $14.7 million for the construction of a new older persons mental health facility, which will replace the Clements ward. The new facility will cater for people assessed with the most severe forms of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

The funding includes $1 million to support the development of a specialised contemporary model of care and longer term service planning. The remaining $13.7 million will be spent on the new facility in accordance with the model of care being developed for older persons mental health services in South Australia. In addition to this, Dr Duncan McKellar is exploring what capacity exists within the mental health system to appropriately relocate some or all of the current residents ahead of the new build.

The state government has established a working group to oversee the implementation of the Chief Psychiatrist's six recommendations. The oversight committee, led by Mr Tom Stubbs, will consist of a wide range of clinical experts and senior staff within SA Health. It will also have involvement from non-government advocacy groups, statutory officers and people with lived experience of mental illness. This includes the Health Consumer Alliance, the Aged Rights Advocacy Service, the Council for the Ageing, the Public Advocate and the Principal Community Visitor.

The state government will continue to update the house on the progress of the committee as we move towards a new model of care and facility for people with the most severe forms of dementia. With regard to ongoing human resources issues at Oakden, I am advised that 10 people are currently suspended from the workplace pending further investigations. There are currently eight people referred to SAPOL and 26 referrals to AHPRA. In addition, one person has resigned and one person's employment has been terminated. Of course, there are also a number of investigations of Oakden currently underway at both the state and federal level.

Finally, as my colleague the Minister for Ageing, Zoe Bettison, told the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day conference last week, the state government will soon commence consultation on legislative reform to further protect older South Australians. This will be done as part of the review of the safeguarding the rights of older South Australians' strategy and will apply to older South Australians, whether they are in aged care, a retirement village or in their own home.

With an ageing population, South Australia must remain vigilant in its stance against elder abuse, and this government will continue to look at new ways we can protect older people.