Elective Surgery

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:51): The minister is misrepresenting the comments I made. My question relates to elective surgery. My supplementary question is: considering that the NRAH move involved planned reductions in elective surgery activity, even if nothing went wrong, it was planned by the department to reduce elective surgery capacity for the move. Therefore, can the minister explain, if it wasn't an NRAH move factor, what did lead to the increase in overdues on the list from 174 to 1,000 in the last three months?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (14:51): That is the component of the honourable member's original question that I was keen to respond to. It was the component of the honourable member's question that I thought was based on reasonableness rather than a mistruth. So, in answer to the honourable member's question, the advice I have received—

The Hon. S.G. WADE: On a point of order: the minister is not able to accuse me of lying without using a substantive motion.

The PRESIDENT: Can I just make a comment. I remember making a ruling once before in this chamber, where somebody accused the minister of lying, and the chamber did not support my ruling for that person to withdraw. So, please do not expect too much sympathy. Sometimes in the heat of debate people will say things and I think—has the minister finished his answer? Do you want to finish your answer?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. Wade interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Wade, will you please allow him to finish his answer, and will the Leader of the Government please desist.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I am more than happy to go back to the Hansard when I get a moment and reflect upon the honourable member's remarks and point out what components I am referring to. Needless to say, in response to your question, my advice is that the ramp down in preparation for the move to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital saw an additional 186 elective surgery procedures postponed across the system. That is the answer to your question.

It is important to contemplate that: 186 elective surgeries that were planned to be ramped down is not an insignificant number, but it should be looked at in context. The honourable member asked the other day about my reference to elective surgery performance at the Modbury Hospital. I referred to the fact that there had been in excess of a 32 per cent increase in elective surgeries that had occurred at Modbury over the last 12 months since changes have been instituted.

The honourable member asked a really good question, and said, 'What does that mean in the context of things? Is it just simply elective surgeries that are increased at Modbury at the expense of Lyell McEwin?' I thought that it was a good question. I said that I would go away and get the information, and I've got it. In that same period at Lyell McEwin Hospital, there was a reduction in elective surgeries of 1.5 per cent. In the same period, there was an increase in elective surgeries at Modbury Hospital of 36.9 per cent, I am advised.

So, a 36.9 per cent increase at Modbury, and a 1.5 per cent reduction at Lyell McEwin. When you total that and look at it across the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, that equates to a 11.9 per cent increase. In 2015-16, we had 6,535 elective surgeries take place, according to my advice, and that increased the following year to 7,313, so that is a net increase in the order of, or just under, 800 elective surgeries just in NAHLN as a result of decisions that the government has made. Now, I think that puts in context the decisions of the 186 elective surgeries that were consciously planned and deferred in order to accommodate with the NRAH.

The decision to do that, of course, was the right one because what we wanted to see on this side of the house is a smooth and orderly transition in a one in 200 year move from an old facility to a new one being done properly, being done in a way that is planned, to be done in a way that is methodical, to be done in a way that is safe, and that was largely achieved.

It wasn't just achieved because of the work of the former health minister; it was achieved because of the work that everybody within the system, right across the system, not just in the Central Adelaide Local Health Network but also northern Adelaide in conjunction with southern Adelaide, and also Country Health and peri-urban facilities, all working together to see an extraordinary undertaking achieved almost without a glitch. They should be proud of their efforts. The opposition should be proud of their efforts. I know this government certainly is proud of their efforts.