Murray Bridge Soldiers' Memorial Hospital

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Health. Could the minister inform the house if the stoma nurse is no longer visiting the Murray Bridge hospital? With your leave, Mr Speaker, and leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: Previously, a stoma nurse would regularly visit the Murray Bridge hospital and attend the support group meetings, providing essential care and guidance to patients. That service is no longer available, leaving stoma patients, many of whom travel from my electorate, with no access to the specialised support they need.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:51): I thank the member for his question and acknowledge the important work that stoma therapy nurses provide, not just to his community but right across the state. As many people would be aware, a stoma therapy nurse supports patients who have undergone a procedure to develop a stoma such as colostomy or urostomy. Those nurses provide important pre and post-operative education, stoma management, guidance, skin care guidance, counselling, and support with medical supplies.

As the member has outlined, the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network has had a position for a stoma therapy nurse based at the Murray Bridge Country Health Connect office. I understand that the person who was in that role has recently taken up another opportunity for employment and so a recruitment process was immediately begun to hire a new stoma therapy nurse. Advertising for that role commenced on 18 September and applications closed last Thursday 9 October, and shortlisting of applicants is due to commence this week.

Hopefully, with that recruitment process underway, we will soon have that position refilled and people in the member's community will be able to receive that support from the stoma therapy nurse again. Whilst the recruitment process is underway, the community nurses within the local health network are able to support clients with general support and advice about stoma care, and for any patients who require further specialised support, Country Health Connect are assisting with referrals to other nursing staff in the interim. But, of course, we hope to have that position filled very quickly.

Country Health Connect Murray Bridge are also seeking interest from nurses within the existing workforce to be supported to upskill to their specialist area of practice to minimise further future interruptions of service delivery down the track as well. So we are getting that position re-recruited with shortlisting underway at the moment, but also going out to our existing nurses to upskill them to make sure they can be there to provide that support into the future as well.