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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-12-02 Daily Xml
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Transforming Health Summit

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Health. What were the outcomes of the recent Transforming Health Summit?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:03): I thank the member for Reynell for the question and for her interest in this very important process. Over the last 13 years, the government has invested in our regional hospitals and upgraded every metropolitan hospital. Most importantly, we have invested in people—nurses, midwives, doctors and allied health professionals—and South Australia now has more doctors, more nurses and more hospital beds per head than any other state or territory.

It is true that this investment has seen our performance improve in many areas, often dramatically, and I am on the record as saying that the best outcomes are not delivered consistently across the system. Having invested in hospitals and people, our focus is now on the design of our system so we can deliver high-quality health care consistently, and this is the Transforming Health process.

Transforming Health is being led by clinicians, the people who work every day in our health system. Some months ago I established three clinical advisory groups, who have given many hours of their time to develop six quality principles that define a quality world-class health system: patient-centred, safe, effective, accessible, efficient and equitable. Almost 300 clinical standards of care were then developed to be the standards that should underpin every part of our hospital system.

Last Friday, in a historic gathering, more than 600 South Australians—doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health workers, community members and scientific and other professionals—agreed that a transformation is required to ensure the state's health system delivers the best quality health care first time, every time, beginning with our metropolitan hospital system.

I would like to acknowledge several colleagues who attended. I think the member for Reynell was not able to get there on the day but, certainly, the member for Kaurna, the member for Elder and the opposition spokesman for health (Hon. Stephen Wade from the other place) accepted my invitation to attend.

The summit heard and endorsed the case for transformation from Clinical Ambassador Professor Dorothy Keefe PSM, the six clinical leads from the advisory committees, patient stories and interstate and overseas experiences. As a result, the summit agreed on nine key outcomes, which included:

support for the vision that South Australians deserve consistent quality health care: Best Care. First Time. Every Time;

support for the six quality principles put forward by the transforming—

Ms Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Eleanor Abernathy is talking again—

support for the six quality principles put forward by the transforming health clinical advisory committees;

agreement that these quality principles drive the case for change;

endorsement in principle of the clinical standards of care;

an expectation that any planned changes to South Australia's hospital system are based on the quality principles are not founded on cutting costs.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: I am just looking up Eleanor Abernathy. I am not familiar with her.

Mr GARDNER: It is a character in The Simpsons and the minister has previously been pulled up for identifying people who have Tourette's syndrome, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions. The Minister for Mental Health calling somebody of that status is utterly inappropriate, is thoroughly despicable and must be withdrawn.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is called to order and warned a first time, and the member for Morialta can leave the chamber for 15 minutes for that outburst—which started as a point of order and finished as something else altogether.

The honourable member for Morialta having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —

an expectation that any planned changes to South Australia's hospital system based on the quality principles are not founded on cutting costs.

Mr Speaker, my focus is on better quality care for patients. 'Better quality' means patients get the best care first time, every time. 'Better quality' means fewer complications, less need for readmissions, less disruption of patient lives by shorter stays in hospital. 'Better quality' means lives saved, reduced waiting times and more people having better recoveries.

Following the summit, further consultation with our staff and the community will be carried out. We are appointing a steering committee to oversee the process and advise me. I have asked Professor Keefe to be the chair. This will include strong representation from clinicians, consumers and the broader community. I commend summit participants for their commitment to this transformation process. We should thank the members of the three clinical advisory committees for their hard work and, in particular, Professor Keefe for her invaluable advice and commitment to transforming health.

The SPEAKER: I have just looked up the character in question and the Minister for Health can leave the chamber under the sessional order for 15 minutes.

The honourable member for Playford having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The member for Elder.

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