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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-12-03 Daily Xml
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Modbury Hospital

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister provide the house with an update on the rehabilitation ward at the Modbury Hospital?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:54): I certainly can, and I thank the member for Florey for her question. She is, of course, a fantastic advocate—

Ms Bedford: Almost obsessive.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Almost obsessive, she says—for the Modbury Hospital. On Friday 21 November I had the pleasure of officially opening Modbury Hospital's new rehab ward. This project has created a modern ward and increased Modbury Hospital's capacity to care for rehab patients from eight to 28 beds. The heart of this growth is the dedication by the government to provide quality health services for people where and when they need them. Through Transforming Health, clinicians have told us that integrating rehabilitation services with acute medical care will result in better outcomes for patients. Instead of moving back and forth between the two services, patients are able to start their rehabilitation sooner and recover faster.

Locating rehab with acute care also makes it easier to access the full suite of diagnostic and other services found on an acute hospital site. By transferring rehabilitation services and beds from central Adelaide, we have been able to expand on the existing eight rehab beds provided at Modbury and bring services closer to home, to where patients live. This will not only help more than 350 patients who will pass through the ward every year but it will also help family and friends to visit and be involved in this care, which is such an important part of recovery.

Indeed, the member for Florey and I had an opportunity to meet some of the patients, including a gentleman who had had terrible injuries to his ankles. He is a painter and had fallen off a ladder and had spent considerable time at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He said how important it was that he was at Modbury Hospital. It was much easier for his family to visit him and be involved in his care.

The Hon. J.M. Rankine: Great care, he was saying.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: He was saying what great care he had, the Minister for Education reminds me. She was, of course, there on Friday, as was the member for Newland. I am told as of last week 41 patients have been admitted to the new ward since it opened in early November, with all of them residing in the northern Adelaide and northern country catchment areas. These include stroke, amputee, orthopaedic and reconditioning patients.

I am also pleased to report that day rehabilitation services started at GP Plus Super Clinic Modbury and GP Plus Elizabeth on 10 and 11 November respectively. In the short time the services have also accepted referrals from rehabilitation patients in the new area. Patients recovering from stroke, illness or surgery will often, unfortunately, have to spend a lengthy period in hospital. By investing in new facilities like the rehab ward and therapy space, and with expert and caring clinicians, nurses and allied health staff, I am pleased that we can make that stay the best we possibly can.

A $2½ million rehab ward is a fantastic new facility. It is part of the government's aim to provide best care, first time, every time. Nevertheless, it is the ward's 50 plus clinicians—nurses and allied health staff—who provide the wonderful care to our patients, and for that I thank them. I congratulate all staff for their hard work getting this new state-of-the-art rehab ward up and running, and wish them well in the important work that will be done through these new services.

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