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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-02-10 Daily Xml
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Health and Hospital Care

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:06): Our health is arguably our greatest asset in life and for each of us, maintaining and caring for it is our greatest responsibility. There have been many changes in health services and their delivery over the years. I remember as a child in the 1960s visiting the local doctor, and home visits by him. Dr Walker knew every family in our suburb. These days, not everyone has a regular GP, and that does limit the national health snapshot and long-term histories of our wellbeing.

As some may know, babies were always delivered at home prior to the war, and we have since witnessed a progression of maternity services through various models of care. In my own case, my children were born at the Queen Victoria Hospital, the forerunner to the Women's and Children's Hospital which, along with the Flinders Medical Centre and the Lyell McEwin health service, now offers excellent birthing arrangements, and there has never been a time when women have had better access to information and services for this special event in their lives.

But perhaps it is not until we utilise health services that we truly appreciate what is available in the 21st century here in South Australia. Sometimes, despite best endeavours, misadventures and accidents bring great sadness, or people become part of our health system for long periods of time. Lately, a friend's son underwent an exploratory colonoscopy that has resulted in a colostomy and the prospect of ongoing chemo or radiation, as with another gentleman I know with prostate cancer. Their experiences of health services have overall been good, but I urge everyone, as I have them, to bring any concerns they have to the attention of their health providers or local MPs, for without feedback it is impossible to know how to improve health service delivery. After all, health providers do health every day, while for the rest of us it is often our early interaction or the first of many.

I have experienced several health emergencies and needs in my life, some crushing, but others with happy endings. Only recently, my daughter gave birth to her second child at home on the bathroom floor, with the assistance of Chantelle and Brad from the SA Ambulance Service. They arrived just in time to deliver baby Jade, just after my son-in-law returned from his workplace. From the time I phoned 000, although it seemed to be a lifetime, it was only around 10 minutes until we heard the siren, and then only a further 10 minutes until her big brother Nate and I heard the first amazing cries of the newly born member of our family

After a trip to the Flinders Medical Centre to check all was okay, my daughter was well enough and happy to come home. I cannot thank enough the amazing paramedics who serve us all. This was a happy event, but more often they are exposed to the worst situations, which must place a heavy toll on their emotional lives, not to mention their physical safety, as all too often now we hear horror stories of wild and aggressive people attacking these vital first responders and staff of our emergency departments. I am in awe of their service to the community and put on record on behalf of my constituents my sincere thanks for their years of training and dedication to their professional vocation. Through their union and the leadership of their secretary, Phil Palmer, paramedics are also making a crucial contribution to the Transforming Health process.

Long before and since moving to Modbury Heights in 1976, I have had an abiding interest in health services, particularly now in the north-east. This was prompted by previous employment in the private health insurance sector, firstly with the Druids Friendly Society, then operating as National Health Services Association Branch No. 1 and then with my transfer to Medibank in its very early days. I witnessed the two-tier health system and saw how fixed-rate contributions were vastly inferior to the sliding-scale levy that saw everyone who earned a wage contribute to the health system.

Changes to health procedures and the expectations we all have as times, and research and development, most recently through the Florey Research Foundation in the neurological area have seen such enormous advancements, mean that it is always prudent to plan well ahead for an equitable and accessible functional health service.

The failed privatisation of public hospitals experiment—Modbury Hospital was the first and plans for the QEH to follow soon after crashed after a public outcry rightly pointed out how flawed this option would be. The Modbury Hospital Local Action Group worked hard to bring Modbury Hospital back to the public control, and the mass exodus of staff stemmed. We have a strong and loyal workforce at Modbury public hospital, the wonderful Modbury Hospital Foundation and an exceptional band of volunteers, and the community is justly proud of them all.

But constant undermining and innuendo continue, and while we have seen massive government investments in hospitals, particularly Modbury Hospital and the Lyell McEwin health service, it is hard to understand why this rumour mongering persists. These two hospitals will be the backbone of provision of a full and comprehensive health service from now on, and I urge anyone who has any interest to take advantage of the open days that will soon be arranged for you to look at these sites.

Our role is to make sure we have an efficient and integrated health service and that people know how best to access it. With an ageing profile, rehabilitation will become a bigger part of our needs. Modbury Hospital will soon be well placed to play a role in this. The hospice service is highly acclaimed and valued and has earned an exceptional reputation.

Into the future we will see a hospital visit as brief during the acute phase of any condition that besets us. Home support will ensure good recovery in the safest of surroundings, our own home. I have always thought everyone should have a first-aid certificate and a better understanding of how our bodies work. It is terrible that we go to strangers when we are sick and expect them to know exactly what is wrong with us in the first five minutes they see us.

Time expired.

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