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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-30 Daily Xml
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LYELL McEWIN HOSPITAL

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Health. How does the minister respond to claims about current workloads at the Lyell McEwin Hospital?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:03): I thank the member for Little Para for his question about the pressures at the Lyell McEwin Hospital; they have been the subject of some commentary in the media in the last few days. It is important that the house understands this. There has been considerable growth in demand at the Lyell McEwin Hospital over the past six years. In fact, there has been—

Mr Venning interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Schubert will be quiet.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —an increase of 37 per cent in presentations to the emergency department over that time, and 46 per cent more separations from the hospital. This compares to the rest of the metropolitan area, which stands currently at 20 per cent for emergency department growth and 21 per cent growth in separations.

The Lyell McEwin is undergoing huge growth, and that is driven by a range of factors. First, the overall ageing of our population is driving growth across all our hospitals. There is big population growth in the northern suburbs, as people would be aware. Thirdly, of course, by putting extra services into the hospital, we are also driving growth by providing more: so, as a result of having more services, more people go there to get access to those services. I understand that the member for Morphett said on 891 radio this morning, and I quote him:

Definite time lines for outcomes for delivering increased capacity—that's more doctors, more nurses. More importantly, though, it's more beds in hospitals, it's getting people out of hospitals, stopping the bed block, having plans to put people back to their communities and not having hospitals so jammed up that doctors and nurses are forced to put people in corridors.

Let me say that I absolutely agree with the member for Morphett. That is why this government has invested so heavily in the Lyell McEwin Hospital. We have provided, since we have been in government, 200 additional beds across the metropolitan area, including over 50 at the Lyell McEwin Hospital so far, and that is why we are planning for and will provide another 250 beds, including over 100 more beds at the Lyell McEwin Hospital.

Since coming to government, we have employed 126 (108 full-time equivalents, that is, 93 per cent) more doctors at the Lyell McEwin; 617 (498 full-time equivalents, that is, 128 per cent) more nurses at the Lyell McEwin; and 74 (59 full-time equivalents, that is, 107 per cent) more allied health workers at the Lyell McEwin Hospital. It is a huge investment in staffing at that hospital. I am pleased to say a further four junior doctors will commence at the hospital early next year as part of the 50 additional medical training officers announced by the government during this year's state election. They are training places.

We, as a government, are transforming the Lyell McEwin Hospital through a $339 million redevelopment. That is virtually doubling the size of the hospital. The first two stages have been completed. They include: new and upgraded inpatient wards; a new emergency department, including an extended emergency care unit; medical imaging; intensive care unit; high dependency unit; coronary care unit, state-of-the-art operating units; new women's health centre; extension of pathology and pharmacy services; enhanced day surgery services; enhanced oncology facilities; and administrative and research space. That is what we have done so far. We have put those extra services into that hospital.

Stage C, which is the largest stage at $202 million, has commenced and will be completed in 2015-16. Stage C will provide an additional 96 inpatient medical surgical beds; 15 more intensive care beds—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Is somebody over there saying something? I can't hear. Stage C will provide an additional 96 inpatient medical surgical beds; 15 more intensive care beds; expanded neonatal service—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Madam Speaker, I keep hearing something from over there but I have no idea what is being said. It is just a noise.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Norwood will be quiet! The member for Bragg will be quiet also. She is making a lot of noise.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: There is new car parking at the Lyell McEwin, incidentally. There will be 15 more intensive care beds; expanded neonatal services; commissioning of three theatres (one has already opened); a new paediatric ward; modernisation of existing inpatient ward areas; enhanced allied and outpatient departmental areas; and an enhanced range of back-of-house support functions to support the increased size and complexity of the Lyell McEwin Hospital. So, I agree with the member for Morphett: there needs to be more expansion and more services need to be placed there, and that is precisely what the government is doing.

In addition, members will be excited to know that, earlier this year, 18 inpatient palliative care and older person beds were transferred from the Lyell McEwin to Modbury as part of the Modbury's highly praised palliative care unit. Of course, that has freed up 18 beds at the Lyell McEwin Hospital, which enables faster admissions to ward beds through the emergency department.

An important part of South Australia's Health Care Plan, of course, is a commitment to operate our health system as a whole, as opposed to individual units which are effectively in competition with each other. The Lyell McEwin Hospital will be the major tertiary trauma hospital for the northern area. It will work in partnership with Modbury Hospital, which will provide a 24-hour emergency department and services catering to that local community.

At the most recent election, I am pleased to say that the government also committed to a $46 million redevelopment of the Modbury Hospital which will provide 36 new single rooms and a substantial $10 million redevelopment of the emergency department, which will include 25 treatment cubicles at that hospital. So, there are huge additional resources being placed in the northern suburbs in the acute sector, both at the Modbury Hospital and the Lyell McEwin Hospital. It is needed because of that growth in demand.

In terms of broader avoidance hospital policies, as the member for Morphett referred to, the new GP Plus healthcare centre at Elizabeth is nearing completion and will play an important part in helping to keep people in the northern suburbs healthy and out of hospital, including the Lyell McEwin Hospital as well as the new GP Plus super clinic at Modbury that will be opened as well.

I take this opportunity to thank all of the very hard working staff, not only at the Lyell McEwin Hospital but all of our hospitals. The emergency departments of all of our metropolitan hospitals have been incredibly busy over the last few months, especially as a result of the normal illnesses associated with winter and over the last few weeks we have seen a huge upsurge in influenza, and that always puts pressure on our hospitals. Our government's commitment to upgrading our facilities and employing more staff will continue while the demand is there.

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