Flinders Medical Centre

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (16:29): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister inform the house about any recent reviews undertaken on the emergency department at Flinders Medical Centre?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (16:30): Thank you very much to the member for Badcoe, and I note her strong interest in improving the health services for the inner southern suburbs and particularly Flinders Medical Centre. You will be surprised to know that there has been a review undertaken in regard to the Flinders Medical Centre. We know that the Flinders Medical Centre has been absolutely under the pump in the past few years, and we have seen a deterioration of the situation, particularly in terms of ambulance ramping and emergency department delays at that emergency department in the past few years.

What we had under the previous government and the member for Dunstan was a proposal that was put up; it was called the Southern Health Expansion Plan. It sounded really nice. It was floated, there were lots of glossy brochures, etc., and $86 million was invested in that. What the former Premier, the member for Dunstan, said was, 'Well, this is going to fix ramping.' In fact, I think when he was asked about it he said that it would happen almost immediately—almost immediately.

What happened was that the upgraded emergency department opened and ramping didn't decrease; in fact, ramping increased. The reason, very clearly, was because the former government, in expanding the emergency department, actually closed beds in the hospital to do so. So there was a complete misunderstanding—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —of the reasons behind the ramping happening, in that we saw people being stuck in the emergency department, waiting for a bed because they couldn't get a bed in the hospital, because beds were closed in the hospital under that proposal.

A review was undertaken by the very esteemed Dr Mark Monaghan, who is regarded as a nation-leading expert in terms of emergency departments. This is not something that I requested to say how bad the previous government was, this was requested under the previous government. What this report says very clearly is what an absolute failure that policy was and how it made the situation worse. In fact, it says:

…despite a reduction in average ED presentations of approximately 10% and a reduction in admissions of approximately 20%, there had been a deterioration in:

ED length of stay…for both admitted and non admitted patients,

the average number of patients waiting for a bed at 8am each day,

the average time between admission request and ED departure,

inpatient [length of stay].

He goes on to say:

It is worth commenting that the suggestion that a larger ED would eliminate ramping demonstrates a lack of appreciation of both the causative factors and the whole of hospital ownership of ramping. Ramping remains a consequence and a marker of access block to inpatient beds.

So here we have a report which says that clearly the former government—

The SPEAKER: Minister, there is a point of order.

Mr TARZIA: The minister is very clearly—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will hear the point of order.

Mr TARZIA: —reading the report, as he said himself, so I ask that he table the report in its entirety.

The SPEAKER: I understand that the minister may be referring to notes, as he is permitted to do. In any event, I am listening carefully.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will hear the minister.

Mr TARZIA: With all respect, Mr Speaker, I ask you to consult the Hansard and, if the minister did say he was reading from the report, that he be encouraged to table that report.

The SPEAKER: I will review Hansard.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I think we have had our first clanger. I am very happy to table this report that says what a complete failure we had under the previous government. Perhaps the member for Hartley and perhaps the member for Dunstan will be able to read this report and see the issues very clearly in this report of the failure of what their proposals were that has led to increased ramping, worse length of stay and worse emergency waiting times for people at the Flinders Medical Centre.

In response, we have accepted the recommendations either fully or in principle. The board is now implementing those recommendations, working with the department. In addition, of course, we have election commitments of 300 additional beds across the system, including 48 in the southern region, between Flinders and Noarlunga, to address the situation that we see in here of the lack of beds which is causing ramping, which got worse—so much worse—under the previous government. I table this report.

The SPEAKER: Very well.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Hartley, I think that the question you raised with me has now been resolved by the tabling of the report.