Legislative Council Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Answers to Questions Public Hospital Doctors Public Hospital Doctors The Hon. C. BONAROS Legislative Council Public Hospital Doctors In reply to the Hon. C. BONAROS ().29 November 2022). The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Attorney-General Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector Public Hospital Doctors 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 chief executive officer advised the minister informally of her decision to issue the direction immediately prior to it being issued. The minister did not have input into the drafting of the direction or direct the chief executive officer to issue it. The direction is aimed at alleviating hospital inpatient access block, the problem of which compounds over weekends and is often critical on Monday mornings. CALHN data from the last few years shows it has been discharging the majority of patients from mid-afternoon to early evening. Discharging patients earlier in the day will create capacity, which in turn allows patients to be admitted more quickly to an inpatient bed from the emergency department (ED) to help reduce ambulance ramping The government is supportive of measures that will help address bed block and reduce wait times on the ramp and encourage hospital administrators to work with our doctors and other clinical staff to implement any solutions.