SA Spinal Cord Injury Service

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding—

The Hon. C.M. Scriven interjecting:

The Hon. J.S. LEE: I will just start again, Mr President. My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding initiatives to support spinal rehabilitation in South Australia. Can the minister please provide an update to the council about the SA Spinal Cord Injury Service at Hampstead Rehab Centre?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:13): I thank the honourable member for her question. It's a particularly relevant time of the year to consider spinal cord injury. Last Thursday was Spinal Cord Injury Day. I was pleased to be able to mark the day myself with a visit to the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre to recognise the generous donation from ParaQuad SA to the exercise physiology and physical education department of the SA Spinal Cord Injury Service at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink interjecting:

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The interjection from the honourable member reminds me that I think the Hon. Michelle Lensink might have worked there. If she didn't work there, she certainly worked in this area. ParaQuad SA is a not-for-profit community organisation that has been providing support to South Australians with spinal cord injury, but also more broadly in the disability sector, for 50 years. I would like to pay tribute, in particular, to ParaQuad SA leaders: Mr Craig Clarke, Mr Peter Stewart and the late Sue Twelftree.

ParaQuad SA generously donated $180,000 to update the strength and conditioning equipment for patients going through spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The ParaQuad SA donation has been supported by $74,000 in funding by the Central Adelaide Local Health Network to upgrade and fit out the facility at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre. The upgrade includes installation of electric sensor doors, restoration and painting of the bathrooms and weight rooms, and electrical data works. As part of the upgrade, tribute was also paid to Mr George C. Dunstan AM, who has done so much for Australian disability sport and sports administration. The weights and conditioning room was named the George C. Dunstan AM Weights and Conditioning Room.

Strength and fitness training is extremely important for patients undergoing spinal cord injury rehabilitation to support their recovery and to help them learn the new skills required to return to everyday life. The new state-of-the-art equipment donated by ParaQuad SA uses smart technology to support the rehabilitation journey. The outpatients and inpatient I spoke to spoke of the freedom and empowerment that they feel through the program. All they needed to do was swipe their bracelet to set the machine up for their program. This ensures a high-quality service delivery and patient safety and also will support future research programs.

The addition of this equipment and upgrades will help the South Australian Spinal Cord Injury Service to be a global leader in spinal cord injury rehabilitation and support outpatients in the future. I understand that the use of this specialised equipment is a first for any spinal cord injury rehabilitation unit in Australia, and we have seen the benefits of its use interstate. This is a great achievement, and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all those involved from the South Australian Spinal Cord Injury Service, and CALHN more broadly, and from ParaQuad.

ParaQuad has a long history of providing funding to initiatives that enhance the lives of people with disabilities, particularly with respect to people living with a spinal cord injury. As the project demonstrates, the collaboration of community organisations such as ParaQuad working together with the healthcare system is a major driver in providing the best healthcare outcomes for our patients. On behalf of the South Australian government, I would like to thank ParaQuad and the injury service on delivering this great achievement and for their important work in advocating for the spinal cord injury community and for the generosity of their gift.