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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-03-17 Daily Xml
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Transforming Health

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:15): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Today, I am pleased to announce the South Australian government's next steps for the biggest ever transformation of South Australia's health system. At the heart of these reforms is quality—to ensure that we deliver the best care first time every time to all South Australians. These in-principle decisions will allow us to work with clinicians and other health workers and the community to make the more detailed plans that follow.

The reforms build on a decade of this government's reinvestment into our public hospitals and health system. They are the result of comprehensive consultation that began in mid-2014 with the establishment of three clinical advisory committees, the release of a discussion paper in October, a Transforming Health summit in November, and the release of the proposals paper in February this year. Over 5,000 submissions have been received during the Transforming Health process so far, and discussions have been held at many public forums and staff consultations. Overall, the overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that we need to improve our health system.

I have listened to feedback received, and amendments have been made to proposals as a direct result of extensive consultation with clinicians and the community. The Noarlunga Hospital will retain a community emergency department that will continue to be staffed by doctors and nurses and will be open to the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Life-threatening emergencies will go directly to a major emergency department, and protocols will be developed for ambulances to take patients to the Noarlunga community emergency department when appropriate and no admission is expected.

Paediatric emergency services will continue, with a dedicated paediatric space for children being established in the Noarlunga community emergency department. Level 6 neonates will continue to be treated at Flinders Medical Centre, and a statewide governance structure will be introduced as a priority to make sure our sickest babies receive the best possible care.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir: it strikes members of the opposition that the member for Elder may be videotaping which, while we have indulgence for maiden speeches—

The SPEAKER: I was notified beforehand that the member for Elder would be taking photographs of the minister on his feet.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Level 6 neonates will continue to be treated at Flinders Medical Centre, and a statewide governance structure will be introduced as a priority to make sure our sickest babies receive the best possible care. I commend the members for Fisher and Elder for the strong representations they have made to me on this matter.

Modbury Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital will continue to have 24/7 emergency care. Surgical, rehabilitation and acute medical services will relocate from the Repatriation General Hospital. Many of the buildings belong to the last century and cannot provide the spaces, equipment and layout that are needed for modern medical treatments. Orthotics and Prosthetics SA, the chapel, museum and remembrance garden will remain on the Repatriation General Hospital site. The site will be earmarked for healthcare, ageing and community-related purposes. We will have more to say about this in the future as we engage with veterans, the local community and health sector providers.

The Daw House Hospice will be revitalised and relocated, as it will not be able to meet the required standards as a stand-alone unit when the acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services relocate to other sites. The government will work closely with the community, clinicians and industry to decide on the best location for the service and ensure the high-quality care it currently delivers is continued at the new location. I understand the great importance these sites hold to the dedicated and caring staff and the community. The decisions have not been made lightly and are driven by the pursuit of quality health care for our community. Some of the decisions may not be popular, but they are the right thing to do to meet the clinical standards and quality principles.

Transformation will occur over the next four years. We will begin by improving patient access and improving flow through our hospitals. Importantly, no changes to emergency departments will be made until the required capacity is created within our hospitals. In many cases we will upgrade our new facilities as we carry out these changes. I am confident the changes to be made during the Transforming Health process are sound because they are based on clinical expertise and have the best interests of patients who use our health system at the heart of every decision.

The next steps we are announcing today through these in principle decisions will enable us to deliver a healthcare system which consistently provides the best care first time, every time. I table the South Australian government's 'Delivering Transforming Health—Our Next Steps' document.

The SPEAKER: Regarding the point of order of the member for Elder, when I became Speaker I did liberalise the ability of people to take photographs of members, members who were not on their feet, and that was part of moving with modern technology whereby every person with an iPhone is a cameraman. I acknowledge that there will be some concern that such footage could be misused in Today Tonight fashion to speed up the film, or slow down the film, or change from colour to black and white and back again, or splice the film in a way that is calculated to give a misleading impression. Now, the members for Elder and Fisher indicated to me that they would take pictures in the chamber before question time started. I will review their footage to see that it is not a distortion or designed to give any misleading impression of anything that happened in the house and it is my intention—

Mr Marshall: It's a slippery slope.

The SPEAKER: Well, indeed, it could be a slippery slope but, as I understand it, there was no dissent to my changes when they were introduced. I know the member for Morialta availed himself of that, but if there is any use of film to give a misleading impression of what occurs in this house it will be punished.

Mr GARDNER: Sir, just on indulgence on that point, you have previously ruled that members can take photos or, in fact, anyone can take footage from the galleries and that was liberalisation exactly as you have outlined. The description of misuse of film is not new, that has always been the case and has always been in the standing orders applied to media before anyone could do it, so I do not see that as new information. What you have done today is set a new precedent which has members being able to take footage in the chamber itself, which is in your purview to do, but I want to establish that that precedent is entitled for all members or is it just for those members who identify to you before that they are planning on doing so?

The SPEAKER: We will discuss it at Standing Orders Committee, that seems to be the best way forward, but in the interim I will ask the members for Elder and Fisher to show me their shots.

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