Mental Health Beds

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:52): My question is to the Premier. Why are one in 10 mental health patients in South Australia stuck for more than 27 hours across our emergency departments? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PICTON: The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data released in the past week shows that 10 per cent of South Australian mental health patients remain in emergency departments for more than 27 hours before finding a bed, significantly worse than at the time of the last election.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:53): Of course, this question is very similar to the previous question with regard to the mental health capacity and surge that we are experiencing at the moment in South Australia—the surge is being experienced across the state and across the country at the moment and of course the lack of capacity that we have here within our system now.

We are working very hard to address and to right the supply side. We are not waiting for the demand to subside; we are working with that demand to see if there are more appropriate, speedier ways that we can address that acute need. We are also developing longer term strategies to address that demand through the establishment of Wellbeing SA.

On 1 January last year, we established a new agency within government, Wellbeing SA, which is looking at proactive programs to make sure that we maintain the health and wellbeing of South Australians in a proactive and preventative way. That new agency is well resourced. It is headed up by Lyn Dean and her very hardworking team, and those programs that they are putting into place with that new money, which is in our budget, are really going to look at reducing that demand in the future, but we can't wait for that to flow through. We are very significantly increasing our capacity within our emergency departments in South Australia.

I've got some statistics to share with the house. The emergency department, for example, at the Lyell McEwin Hospital, when we came to government was 39. There will be a further 33 treatment areas there, taking that up to 72, and part of that is also an additional—

Mr Picton: You delayed it.

The SPEAKER: Member for Kaurna!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —number that will go into the short stay mental health beds that will go into the Lyell McEwin Hospital. These short-term beds will be very important to that northern system. At the Flinders Medical Centre—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —there were 56 beds or treatment areas when we came to government. That will increase by more than 50 per cent—by a further 30—taking that up to 86. That is in addition to the work that we are doing down at the Noarlunga Hospital, and, of course, the massive, massive increase in the number of beds at the Repat hospital. So the southern system is being very significantly upgraded.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital—very close to my heart; I was born there—is having a very significant increase as well. When we came to government, 33 beds, and that was a hospital that had really been massively downgraded under the previous government where they basically stripped out even the cardiac surgery and capability in the western suburbs. Under the previous government, you had to decide—

Mr Picton: You're reducing cardiac services there.

The SPEAKER: Member for Kaurna!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —where you were living if you had a dicky heart! What we have done, of course, is to restore those 24/7 cardiac services for the people living in the western suburbs. I know that there are many members here who are always paying attention and advocating on behalf of people out in the north-east with a very significant increase in the overall capacity of the Modbury Hospital, which is one of our great hospitals and which was completely neglected under those opposite.

I was out there recently, and some of the changes there are not just one or two things. A huge number of projects are underway at the Modbury Hospital. This must be providing real relief to people out in that area, and of course it takes the pressure off the Lyell McEwin Hospital. Much work is needed and many resources are needed. We are providing those resources. The transformation from a perilous situation to the new situation is underway as we speak.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the member for West Torrens, I warn the member for Chaffey, I warn the member for Hurtle Vale for a second time, I warn the Minister for Trade and Investment, I warn the member for Kaurna, I warn the member for West Torrens, I call to order the Deputy Premier, and I warn the leader.