Hospital Services

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:17): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Will the minister update the chamber on hospital services during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:17): I thank the honourable member for his question. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the delivery of health services around the world. Even in jurisdictions such as South Australia, where to date we have avoided some of the horrendous consequences of COVID-19 as we have seen overseas and, for that matter, in other parts of Australia.

On Monday, I was pleased to see a positive effect of COVID-19 in terms of the increase in the number of South Australian women presenting to BreastScreen SA. In other areas we have seen a decrease in presentations, which means that South Australians are staying away from accessing the care they need. An example of where that is happening is in the area of strokes. Presentations for strokes have decreased earlier in the pandemic.

In this regard, I welcome the work done last week in National Stroke Week to raise the awareness of stroke, the third most common cause of death in Australia. With stroke being a leading cause of death and disability, it is essential we continue to work hard to ensure all South Australians are able to receive the very best in stroke care.

Here in South Australia I am delighted to see that we are establishing a Stroke Community of Practice, which brings together experts in the field to develop a statewide service. This work is being led by Professor Tim Kleinig, the highly respected head of stroke services at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and one of the pioneers of delivering improved stroke care to South Australians in regional South Australia.

The model of Community of Practice was further developed by the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health, which was established by this government. The Community of Practice model builds on the clinical networks which are directly under the umbrella of the commission. The statewide Stroke Community of Practice will bring together clinicians, consumers who have survived stroke, representatives from the Stroke Foundation and data experts. Importantly, its focus will be broader than acute hospital-based care, extending to prevention and out-of-hospital care, as well as chronic disease management.

This government is committed to all South Australians having access to high-quality medical care, and the new statewide Community of Practice will help deliver better services closer to home for South Australians. The delivery of Statewide Clinical Networks and its sister model, the Community of Practice, is the delivery of a commitment by the Marshall Liberal team in opposition. Unlike the former Labor government which abolished the clinical senate's centralised power in the department by abolishing local boards, we are committed to engagement with clinicians and clinical networks, and Community of Practice is fundamental to that.

I would like to thank all members of the Community of Practice for their work supporting people who suffer stroke and, in particular, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Professor Kleinig as the recipient of the Stroke Foundation's President's Achievement Award for 2020, a well-deserved tribute to his work in this field over many years.