Health Services, Northern Adelaide

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:03): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding health services in Adelaide's north.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Adelaide's north is not only one of the fastest growing regions in the state, its residents also present at health services with a range of comorbidities or complicating factors. Will the minister update the council on health services in the north of Adelaide?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:04): I would like to thank the honourable member for his question. The Marshall Liberal government was elected with a commitment to supporting the provision of better health services closer to home, following Labor's disastrous Transforming Health experiment, which led to the downgrading of hospitals right across Adelaide. One of those hospitals was the Modbury Hospital where the former government closed the high dependency unit—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —and downgraded the hospital generally. The honourable—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Hanson doesn't need to ask the minister for directions. The minister will continue.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I continue my suggestion that the opposition might lose a question. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Thank you, Mr President. Also, I just bring to your attention that every time they stop me it's depriving me of the opportunity to give an answer. You are asking ministers to stay within the time frame. It's difficult to do that if I—

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, sir: that's got nothing to do with the answer and the minister is deliberately wasting the crossbenchers' time.

The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order and you will resume your seat. The minister will continue to provide an answer to the question that was asked.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The Marshall Liberal government has been working hard to undo the damage caused by Transforming Health, particularly in the north where Modbury is located.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Just quietly, you established local health networks—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, continue.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —and you put Modbury in the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Hanson is out of order. The minister will continue. The question was about hospital services in the northern part of Adelaide as I understand it.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Indeed.

The PRESIDENT: Continue.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Last Friday, I was able to visit Modbury Hospital with the Premier to announce the delivery of an important commitment from this government: the opening of the new four-bed, high dependency unit. In this regard, I would like to acknowledge the advocacy of the member for Newland, the member for King and member for Florey who, even as a member of the Labor Party, was campaigning against the former government's decision to close the high dependency unit.

The high dependency unit will make a difference beyond the four beds it makes available for the hospital. In the first place, it will ease pressure on the busy Modbury emergency department but also, considering the downgrading of the hospital under the former Labor government, has increased transfers to the Lyell McEwin Hospital. It will have a benefit for both of the hospitals in the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.

The HDU will mean clinicians at Modbury Hospital will be able to offer care to patients whose clinical condition requires a higher level of monitoring and management, and increase the hospital's ability to manage patients both medically and post-surgically. Finally, following the opening of the new theatres, which are currently going through an important upgrade, the HDU will also support the increase of low to medium complexity surgery and the delivery of multiday surgery up to 72 hours.

This means that the cohort of patients that the honourable member was referring to—patients with comorbidity—are more likely to be able to receive their care at the Modbury Hospital. This means that, instead of having to travel further for their health care, further away from family and loved ones, they will be able to get their care closer to home. This government is committed to supporting better health services in Adelaide's north. Our $96 million upgrade of the Modbury Hospital, including opening the HDU, is delivering on that commitment.

The PRESIDENT: A supplementary, the honourable Leader of the Opposition.