House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-02-26 Daily Xml

Contents

SA Ambulance Service

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (15:01): My question is to the Premier. What additional funding and resources will the Premier provide to the Coroner to fast-track consideration of the nine patient deaths from adverse incidents?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (15:02): We haven't received any request from the Coroner for additional resources, but that moment of quiet reminded me what the previous question was, which was actually about hospital beds. What I was trying to convey to this house is that it is—

Mr Picton: Are you going to answer this question? Answer this question.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, I just did.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I just said we haven't received any request. I'm making it very clear, sir, that we haven't received any requests for additional resources from the Coroner, but I would like to inform the house on the previous question, which was really regarding hospital beds, and remind the member for Kaurna that it's actually not the government that decides about which beds are open and which beds are closed. These are decisions that are handled by the local health network.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The incidents that are referred to in this report don't deal with individual beds. It deals with incidents that have occurred mainly when ambulance officers and paramedics have been out visiting a patient and there has been a misdiagnosis of the condition which hasn't had them transported into the hospital. It has nothing to do with the number of hospital beds open or closed at the Women's and Children's Hospital.

The SPEAKER: The member for Elder and then the 20th question for the opposition today. Member for Elder.