Hospital Services

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (16:03): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Will the minister update the council on current hospital activity?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Minister for Health and Wellbeing has the call and will be heard in silence.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (16:03): I thank the honourable member for his question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The Marshall government is committed to delivering quality health services closer to home. That is being delivered in spades through the Southern Health Expansion Plan, an $86 million project to expand our emergency department and broader hospital services in South Australia. Just a few hours ago I was at the Repat providing an update on this plan, and the start of the demolition works on the next stage of the Repat revitalisation.

I would like to highlight the three different aspects that the Southern Health Expansion Plan deals with. First of all, the $86 million that is being invested is a substantial investment in reactivating the Repat, by building on the care of older people with dementia. Let's remember, in the shadow of Oakden, this government committed to investing in dementia services, and that is exactly what we are delivering on the Repat site. The Southern Acute Dementia Unit is being established at the former Ward 20 site, which is a complementary service to the dementia village and also the neurobehavioural unit. It's part of building a centre of excellence in dementia care to try to put the shame of Labor's Oakden disaster behind us.

Also, the Southern Health Expansion Program (SHEP) will see a significant step in undoing the damage of Labor's failed experience, Transforming Health. It will improve the clinical capability and the medical care provided at Noarlunga Hospital. That will enable the Noarlunga Hospital team to retain more of the ED presentations made at that hospital. I'm told that it is likely that there will be up to 1,000 ambulance transfers a year that will be avoided, and that will help ease the pressure on the Flinders Medical Centre.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Let me go to the point as to how this will stop ambulance ramping.

The PRESIDENT: I trust the minister is going to wrap up fairly soon.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Sorry, Mr President, we have only just—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, continue.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I'm very surprised that the members opposite would actually want to raise ambulance ramping because this is a key strategy of eliminating ambulance ramping.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Order! I want to hear the minister. This place is built on respect and has been over many, many years, and I want to continue that. The minister will continue but he will wrap up soon.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Indeed I will. The $86 million investment will see a significant improvement in the capacity of the Flinders Medical Centre ED and reduce transfers from Noarlunga. The Flinders Medical Centre is already the busiest emergency department in the whole of the state. Under this government's $86 million investment, it will become the biggest emergency department in the state. It is currently operating 30 per cent above its design capacity because of the failure of the former government to continue to invest. The southern hospital expansion will help reactivate the Repat, it will help undo the damage of Transforming Health, and it will help stop ambulance ramping.

The PRESIDENT: The time for question time has expired but I ask members to stay in the chamber for a few moments because we do need an absolute majority. I call the Treasurer.