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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-09 Daily Xml
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CENTRAL NORTHERN ADELAIDE HEALTH SERVICE

70 Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (1 June 2010). How much commonwealth funding has been provided to the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service for Hospital and Health Workforce Reform and the Commonwealth Dental Health Program?

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): I am advised:

The Commonwealth funding provided to South Australia as part of the Hospital and Health Workforce Reform is made up of three primary funding components: activity based funding, subacute care and taking pressure off public hospitals (emergency departments).

During 2009-10, funding was distributed across the Department of Health and regions, including the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service (CNAHS), relating to the subacute care and emergency department funding elements. The focus of the activity based funding component is towards the development of a nationally consistent activity based funding capability and is directed towards activities currently performed within the Department of Health.

During 2009-10, $4.831 million (investing and operating funding) was distributed to CNAHS for emergency departments.

During 2009-10, $1.398 million was distributed to CNAHS for subacute services.

The previous Federal Government withdrew from the Commonwealth Dental Health Program (CDHP) in 1996. Closure of the Program removed annual funding of $10 million from SA Dental Service at that time, halving the funding available for the dental treatment of pensioners and other concession card holders in South Australia. As a result, the average waiting time for routine dental care peaked at 49 months in 2002.

The Rudd Federal Government announced its intention to reintroduce the CDHP from July 2008. This would have provided $24.7 million over three years ($7.5 million in 2008-2009–now $8 million) in additional funding for South Australian public dental services from that date. This was projected to rapidly reduce the average waiting time for public general dental care.

The reintroduced CDHP was to be funded with savings achieved through the cessation of the previous Federal Government's Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Program (the Medicare Program). The Medicare Program enables people whose poor oral health is impacting on a chronic disease to be referred by their medical practitioner to a private dentist for a range of Medicare-funded dental care, and it is limited to people with chronic diseases. However, this option has some limitations in that the patient may still incur significant out-of-pocket costs. It is also non-capped and is costing far more than was originally budgeted by the former Howard Federal Government.

Regrettably, the Federal Senate has so far rejected the cessation of the Medicare Program and, as a result, the CDHP is now on hold. This delay has caused significant difficulties in funding new CDHP projects already approved, and the SA Dental Service has had to put strategies in place to manage these projects whilst continuing to provide essential services to the public.

I have written directly to South Australian opposition Senators and the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing to report the impact caused by the failure to resolve this matter. Unfortunately, the matter remains unresolved.

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