SA Health Employees

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:09): Supplementary: does the minister accept that patients' welfare is at risk from doctors working up to 80 hours a week and especially so if someone has been forced to sleep in their car?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:09): I think it is beyond question, not only in health but in other industries, such as the airline industry and the heavy freight transport industry, that a lack of sleep is a significant impairment to a person's capacity to deliver appropriate care. We will continue to do our best to make sure that fatigue is not allowed to develop amongst the staff.

Of course, not all of this, to be frank, is within our control. If a staff member chooses to work in more than one job, for example, fatigue may not just be the result of SA Health's work. But, to the extent that it is within our control, the government is determined that we will continue to deliver high quality, safe care to South Australians and part of that is making sure that we have a workforce that is job ready.