Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Does the minister agree with doctors, nurses and paramedics that his government's response to the extreme ramping crisis has been insufficient and lacking in urgency?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:54): I received a letter this morning from the ANMF in response to my letter of Tuesday, and I note that the ANMF letter echoes the political arguments of the Labor Party. I note that the Labor Party is now in this parliament using the letter in political debate. The Labor Party and its union mates can play politics; for my part, I am focused on better patient outcomes.

On that point, I think the member chose to accuse me of a lack of urgency. Well, sure enough, that echoes a Labor theme, which is in the letter. They say, 'There appears to be a complete absence of urgency.' Let's look at that. One of the issues that this letter raises is criteria led discharge. It states:

Whilst noting the policy development work in criteria led discharge commenced by the previous government and completed late in 2018, we note the absence of any clear schedule or program for its implementation.

In the attachment it says:

The unions are pleased that SA Health has finally released the CLD policy agreed last year and promoted by unions, particularly the ANMF, for over a decade or longer.

For over a decade or longer. That reminded me of an ABC news report on 12 July 2017. Let me read you a few snippets. It said that nurses should be given more powers to discharge patients. It said:

…(ANMF) state secretary Elizabeth Dabars said the State Government agreed to roll out nurse-led discharges in some areas of the health system 18 months ago.

Eighteen months ago. This is a policy which, in the letter today, the unions are saying they were campaigning for for more than a decade. In this report we are told that there had been initiatives in the 18 months before that. They go on to quote, and this is a direct quote from Ms Dabars:

This is one of those situations where it doesn't make any sense not to act because quite frankly the system itself, and therefore the patients, are the ones who are disadvantaged by the failure to act…

This was in 2017. This was a Labor government. The unions had been campaigning for this policy for more than a decade. The article goes on:

But here we are, years later since the concept was originally proposed and agreed to, with no discernible change.

So 10 years of campaigning; Labor had done nothing. Later on in the same article she goes on to say:

Ms Dabars said she had raised the matter of nurse-led discharge with the Health Minister Jack Snelling and executive level staff at SA Health on many occasions.

So help me with the symmetry here: Labor, more than 10 years, no policy—thanks, mates; Liberal, less than a year, policy delivered—a campaign against us. It doesn't make sense to me.