Women's and Children's Hospital

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): My question is again to the Premier. Has the Premier received advice in relation to how many women and children receiving treatment at the new Women's and Children's Hospital will be forced to walk or be driven in an ambulance to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for extra care? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: On ABC radio this morning the Premier said, 'They could walk.'

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:33): I am very happy to outline what advice we have received in relation to the planning of the new hospital, which is advice from the clinicians of SA Health, of the Women's and Children's Hospital—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert! The member for Colton is warned.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I have just come to question time from having a staff forum at the Women's and Children's Hospital, speaking directly to the clinicians, and—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —I can inform the house that clinicians are overwhelmingly supportive of the government's plan.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I can also inform the house that last night I went to the women's and kids' hospital, walked the wards of the hospital, met with many clinicians and, overwhelmingly, there is support for this plan, including support for the key element of our plan that we have outlined—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —which is establishing an intensive care unit for women inside the Women's and Children's Hospital. This means that women will be able to get the care that they need in the hospital and it means that the RAH and the Women's and Children's Hospital clinicians will work in network to make sure that that care can be provided.

Importantly, that means that women who need that care will not be separated in a different hospital from their babies who are also getting care inside that hospital. This has wide support from our clinicians as a fantastic outcome in terms of improving those services, making sure fewer transfers have to happen. Clearly, if we can bring the clinicians to the patient then that is better than having to move the patient to get to the clinicians. Obviously, there will be a lot of work—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is on three warnings.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Obviously, there is a lot of work to happen between the Women's and Children's Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The exchange between the Premier and the member for Morialta will cease. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: The location of the new hospital on this much bigger site with additional capacity is still in the biomedical precinct, which means that there is the key ability for close collaboration between clinicians across the hospital sites, and also with the universities and also with SAHMRI and SAHMRI 2, which are going to be working together as part of the biomedical precinct. Having all those services connected in the biomedical precinct is absolutely important not only for providing clinical care but also for health and medical research that will happen across those sites.

We have been listening to the clinicians. This has been worked on in collaboration and with their leadership working on that. We have heard directly from the clinicians, who have spoken publicly about this in the past 24 hours that they are very supportive of this model, which is ultimately going to improve the care of women, children and babies in South Australia.