HEALTH SYSTEM

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:53): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Health—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I am unable to hear the Hon. Ms Vincent. Could you start again, please.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Health questions regarding hospital stays of people with disabilities and chronic illness.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: My office has been involved in advocating for several constituents, and is aware of many more, in cases involving constituents in an SA Health hospital or rehabilitation facility who have been declared fit for discharge yet the Disability SA services they require to transition back home are not being provided in a timely fashion. This results in long stays in hospital beds while funding is sourced or accommodation sought. In every case there seems to be very poor communication between government departments and it means that taxpayer funds are wasted, to say the least. My questions of the minister are:

1. How many people who have been declared fit for discharge are currently languishing in SA Health hospital beds when they should be at home with support or in a more appropriate facility?

2. Does the minister think it is appropriate that hospitals designed for acute temporary care are being used in an accommodation holding pattern fashion for people with a disability or chronic health conditions due to state government departments failing to provide adequate accommodation options and healthcare management plans?

3. Does the minister agree that wholesale cuts to out-of-hospital primary healthcare services made in the wake of the McCann review in this state will result in an increase in unnecessary hospital admissions and a decrease in health outcomes, and come at significant economic cost to SA Health and South Australian taxpayers?

4. What exactly is the average cost to keep a patient in a SA Health hospital bed?

5. How many taxpayer dollars does SA Health spend each year on hospital care on patients who have been declared fit for discharge but continue to wait for disability services funding?

6. Could SA Health meet its budget savings measures if patients with disabilities in SA Health hospitals were provided with adequate and timely disability services and support hours, and discharged when they were cleared for discharge rather than waiting up to 12 months, as is the current practice?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:55): I thank the honourable member for her most important question about people with disabilities and chronic illness, and hospital stays and transfers back into the community. I undertake to take that question to the Minister for Health and Ageing in another place and seek a response on her behalf.