Noarlunga Hospital

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (15:17): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister provide an update about the implementation of the government's policy regarding the Noarlunga Hospital, and can the minister also provide details regarding the estimated time frame for implementation of this policy?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for his question and for his continued advocacy for the delivery of quality health services in South Australia. The Noarlunga Hospital is one of several Adelaide metropolitan hospitals which suffered downgrading of its services under Labor's disastrous Transforming Health experiment. The residents of Adelaide's south received a double whammy with the downgrading of services at Noarlunga at the same time Labor broke its promise to never, ever close the Repat.

The Marshall Liberal government was elected with a commitment to undo the damage of Transforming Health. A key element of delivering on that commitment was to establish a 12-bed acute medical ward at Noarlunga Hospital. I am delighted to be able to advise the council that this government has delivered on its promise, with the 12-bed acute medical ward opening three weeks ago on 9 April.

The establishment of the 12-bed acute medical ward at Noarlunga means that general patients will once again be able to be directly admitted to the hospital. Noarlunga emergency clinicians are now able to admit patients for longer observation or short stay treatment, allowing them to provide care to more of the people who present at the hospital's emergency department.

The unit will be enhanced by the existing on-site presence of geriatric services, specialised dementia care, mental health and chronic disease management. Patients will now be able to stay up to three nights as an acute admission at Noarlunga. The opening of the ward will also relieve some pressure on the Ambulance Service, with the ability to admit patients to Noarlunga meaning fewer patients will need to be transferred to Flinders Medical Centre.

The government is also committed to the reassessment of service provision across the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. This process will be led by the newly appointed local health boards, which will become fully operational from 1 July this year. A review of services by the local board will bring a fresh way of working to the local health network, particularly with their statutory requirement to have dedicated clinical and consumer engagement strategies.

In the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Mr Mark Butcher has been appointed as chair of a strongly qualified board and I look forward to the work that he and his board will do in the area. The Marshall Liberal government is working across the South Australian health system to undo the damage of Labor's neglect and mismanagement. There is more work to be done and as the fulfilment of our commitment at Noarlunga shows, the Marshall Liberal government is getting on with the job.