Answers to Questions

National Emergency Access Target

In reply to the Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (10 February 2015).

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change):

1. The three major emergency departments at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre and the Lyell McEwin Hospital will be staffed in accordance with the standard requirements set out in the relevant enterprise agreements.

These hospitals will have senior doctors and nurses on-site 24/7 to ensure rapid decision-making. People with complex, life-threatening conditions will have the medical attention they need, including access to specialist clinicians, the equipment needed for diagnostic tests, quick test results and the support services needed for a speedy recovery. This will reduce delays to decisions and treatments.

People with urgent but less serious conditions will be able to be seen more quickly at Noarlunga Hospital, Modbury Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, because staff will be skilled and experienced with the urgent treatments needed, and not called away to the more complex, life-threatening situations that are better treated at the major emergency department sites.

2. SA Health has developed and brought in strategies to maintain and support existing emergency departments to meet the demands and needs of the public, and is taking practical steps to improve performance against the Emergency Department Access Target (formerly called the NEAT) for the percentage of visits completed within four hours.

Strategies include increasing capacity at metropolitan hospitals and, in preparation for the winter period, developing SA Health's comprehensive Winter Demand Management Plan. Initiatives implemented under the Winter Demand Management Plan included:

Postponement of some non-urgent elective surgery.

Transfer of appropriate patients from metropolitan to country hospitals.

Discussing alternative care options with patients who present to emergency departments with non-life threatening conditions.

These strategies have been successful in our emergency departments, including at the three sites which will be developed as major emergency departments under Transforming Health.

For the period July 2015 to November 2015, the average visit time reduced by 15 per cent at Flinders Medical Centre (a reduction of 46 minutes), 22 per cent at Lyell McEwin Hospital (an 80 minute reduction), and 6 per cent at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (a 22 minute reduction), compared to the same period in 2014.

Performance against the Emergency Access Target improved by 5 per cent at Flinders Medical Centre (61 per cent achievement), 8 per cent at the Lyell McEwin Hospital (54 per cent achievement), and 2 per cent at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (51 per cent achievement), compared to the same period in 2014.

SA Health is also working on the development of standard models of care to support the flow of patients through emergency departments and reduce blockages. One important element will be the early assessment of patients by a senior clinician to ensure early decision making and reduce patient care delays.