Women's and Children's Hospital

The Hon. C. BONAROS (14:44): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Health and Wellbeing a question about the Women's and Children's Hospital.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: The iconic Women's and Children's Hospital is world renowned for very good reason, but with the Liberal government committed to building a new Women's and Children's Hospital in the near future there is increasing concern among the medical fraternity that the old hospital is virtually being ignored.

Earlier this year, a letter signed by 215 hospital doctors warned that services such as childhood cancer and neonatal were on the verge of collapse. We have also been advised that not only is general maintenance being wound back but, more critically, senior medical positions aren't being filled or replaced when GPs and specialists are on leave. Further, there is growing concern that the hospital's executive is making determinations about the new hospital without clinical engagement. My question to the minister is:

1. Have any business cases been made to the Women's and Children's Hospital since the 2018 state election for the employment of additional or vacant FTE medical officers and, if so, how many business cases have been submitted and have they resulted in the employment of additional staff?

2. Can the minister confirm the hospital's executive is consulting with clinicians in planning for the new hospital, and what is the extent of that consultation?

3. Can the minister outline the concerns that SASMOA has made to the hospital's executive about the lack of clinician engagement with that planning?

4. How does the government define what it called, during the election period, a 'new world-class hospital'?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:45): In relation to any business cases that have been presented to the government since 2018, it is a detailed question and I will provide the member with a detailed answer on notice. In terms of the issues raised by Women's and Children's Hospital staff, I would refer the honourable member to an answer I gave to the Leader of the Opposition earlier this year, when the Leader of the Opposition sought details of staff concerns and I provided that detail.

In terms of a world-class hospital, the very first element of a world-class hospital is our government's commitment to have a co-located Women's and Children's Hospital alongside the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. I would refer honourable member to the public statements the Treasurer made this morning on radio, where he reiterated the government's commitment to the Women's and Children's Hospital. We are in a very significant financial challenge as well as a very significant health challenge and I welcome the Treasurer's public reiteration again, which he has consistently done.

This government is determined to deliver that world-class hospital. As I said, the first criteria of a world-class hospital in relation to the Women's and Children's Hospital is to avoid the disaster of Labor's proposal to leave the children's hospital stranded at North Adelaide.

In relation to the hospital in the meantime, I would remind honourable members that this government has invested more than $50 million in sustainment works at the site and, more recently, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has actually installed additional pods. I think, if my memory serves me correctly, there are nine treatment bays that have been added to the Women's and Children's Hospital to make sure that services for children are COVID-ready. That demonstrates, in my view, that this government is not going to neglect the current hospital as it plans an exciting future for the hospital at the North Terrace site.