Mental Health Nurse Recruitment

9 The Hon. S.G. WADE ().6 July 2022).

1. How many mental health nurses will need to be recruited for SA Health mental health services for each year of the forward estimates?

2. What proportion will be due to expected attrition?

3. What proportion will be to meet activity growth?

4. What proportion will be to meet the nurse/patient ratios to be legislated by the government?

5. What proportion will be required to deliver on other Malinauskas government commitments?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): The Minister for Health and Wellbeing has advised:

The previous government failed to make workforce planning a priority which resulted in critical workforce shortages. Our government already has workforce planning underway to make sure that we can address the issues we have inherited from the previous Liberal government, and to plan for the future.

Additional mental health nurses will be required for additional mental health beds committed by the Malinauskas government and planning is underway regarding the staffing needs across these new wards.