Health Services

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (14:55): Will the Minister for Health and Wellbeing please update the council on health services in the north and north-eastern suburbs?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:55): I thank the honourable member for her question. Nearly four years ago, the Marshall Liberal government was elected with a strong commitment to undo the damage of Labor's disastrous Transforming Health experiment. The damage was particularly felt in Adelaide's north and north-eastern suburbs, as services at Modbury were downgraded and more families more frequently had to travel to the Lyell McEwin, putting pressure on that hospital, or the new RAH to get the treatment they needed.

The Marshall Liberal government has been working hard to reverse this. We have committed a record $7.4 billion investment in the health budget this financial year, $900 million more than Labor's last budget. For the northern suburbs, that means an increase in the budget of the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network from $534 million in Labor's last budget to $829 million in this financial year. That is $275 million more being spent on health services in the north and north-east.

The report of the independent Commissioner for Public Sector Employment shows that there were 4,197 FTEs in NALHN as at 30 June 2021, 589 more FTEs than at 30 June 2018, an increase of 16 per cent. In addition to putting more nurses, midwives, doctors and paramedics on the ground, we have been investing in the bricks and mortar of our hospitals, with nearly $200 million budgeted for infrastructure projects in the north-east.

Modbury Hospital in particular is being revived by the Marshall Liberal government with a $145 million investment. We have delivered a new four-bed high dependency unit, allowing more complex surgeries to be undertaken at the hospital; a 12 treatment bay extended emergency care unit; a new 26-bed short stay general medical unit; a new 20-bed palliative care unit; a new outpatient building; and upgraded theatres for surgery. Labor promised the extended emergency care unit three times. The Marshall Liberal government promised it once and it has delivered.

On top of this upgrade to Modbury Hospital, we are expanding the Lyell McEwin emergency department to provide better support for residents of the north and north-east who need urgent care. We are also investing in mental health in the north. Our most recent budget includes an additional $163 million investment in mental health, with a particular focus on the northern suburbs.

We are establishing a 16-bed, 24/7 crisis stabilisation centre in Adelaide's northern suburbs. The centre will provide acute crisis care based on a recovery model, with highly skilled professional staff and peer workers in a therapeutic and safe setting. This will reduce admissions to our public hospitals and ease pressure on emergency departments.

We have also committed $48 million over four years to construct a 20-bed older persons acute mental health facility at Modbury Hospital. Woodleigh House at Modbury will be decommissioned; it is well past its use-by date. That will allow the transfer of the current older persons mental health unit from Lyell McEwin to the Modbury.

Labor failed the north-east and downgraded health services. The Marshall government is delivering on its commitment to undo the damage of Labor in the north-eastern suburbs, with better hospitals, more services and more health staff.