House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-10 Daily Xml

Contents

Ministerial Statement

HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS

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) (16:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Today in question time, the member for Morphett asked me a question about an emergency target of 95 per cent of people being treated and discharged or admitted within four hours, and I said a number of jurisdictions had a similar arrangement, including the National Health Service in Britain. The member for Morphett said that was not the case. I thought I had better check. I have been advised that that was the case, and I find that we are both correct because, currently, there is a 95 per cent target in place.

The target was changed from 98 per cent to 95 per cent on 21 June 2010 when Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health in Britain, advised that he decided to reduce the threshold to 95 per cent, so that is currently the policy in Britain. However, to be perfectly fair to the member, he also announced that he would abolish the target generally from April 2011 so, in the future, the member for Morphett will be correct, but currently I am correct, but that will not always be the case. I just wanted to fix the record in relation to that.