Midwifery Services, Light Region

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister update the house on the status of midwifery services in the Light region? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: My office has been contacted by concerned locals who report that maternity patients in Kapunda will now have to travel elsewhere to have their baby delivered as the Kapunda Hospital has been placed on diversion due to workforce shortage.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:48): I thank the member for Frome for her question. Certainly, we know midwifery services and midwifery staff right across country is an area of workforce pressure in regional areas right across the country, and we are obviously managing a significant issue that we have had in Whyalla in relation to the availability of midwives there.

I am happy to seek further information from the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network in terms of the exact issues that are happening in the Kapunda region, but I know that this is an area of significant focus for all of our local health networks in terms of the maintenance of midwifery services right across the board. It is also an area where we are undertaking future workforce planning right across SA Health, and midwifery services are a key component of that to make sure that we can continue to provide available services right across the state.