Repatriation General Hospital

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:43): My question is directed to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding the Repat site. Can the minister please update the council about the most recent developments in the Repat site?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for her question.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The Marshall Liberal government's reactivation of the Repat site is an important part of our work to rebalance the public health system in South Australia and undo the damage of Labor's disastrous Transforming Health experiment.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Point of order, Mr President.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: After the government stopped the sale of the site last year we have been working hard with the community—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Point of order, Mr President. You couldn't hear me because I couldn't hear the answer.

The PRESIDENT: Members of the opposition benches, please show some respect to the minister and in particular to members of the crossbench, who are further away from this minister. Go on, minister.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Thank you, Mr President. As I said, after the government stopped the sale of the site last year we have been working hard with the community to develop a genuine health precinct on the site. First and foremost, we have secured 50 beds on the site, with 10 of those 50 opening in the past two months. These beds will support patients who are transitioning out of acute hospital care to care in the home or community. Every one of those beds means an acute hospital bed is freed up, reducing pressure on our busy emergency departments and ensuring patients receive appropriate care in appropriate settings.

Just this month, I was with the Premier at the Repat as we contributed to the first major demolition on the site to make way for new infrastructure. This work is the first step in delivering a permanent home in the historic C Block building for the southern older persons community mental health team. This will be located beside the dementia facility on the site, as well as the 18-bed neurobehavioral unit, which is an important part of the government's work in delivering on the recommendations of the Oakden report.

The government has made collaboration with clinicians and the community a central plank of its reforms to health service delivery, and this new work on the Repat site is another example of this approach. In designing this facility, the Office for Ageing Well has worked not only with the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist but also with families who have lived experience of a family member in care, including Oakden families, and also with The Australian Centre for Social Innovation.

We believe this means the unit will better respond to the needs of people with some of the most severe forms of dementia, as well as the needs of their families. This is yet another step in the Marshall Liberal government's ongoing work to reactivate the Repat site.

Of course, there is much still to be done, and I look forward to seeing this accomplished in partnership with our clinicians and the community, who will never forget that every bed, every health service on the Repat site, would not have been possible if the members opposite had their way and sold it for apartments, cafes and restaurants.