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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-05-09 Daily Xml
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Modbury Hospital

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:01): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier provide details of his recent visit to Modbury Hospital, particularly the vacant high-care unit, and advise about progress on the restoration of services at Modbury Hospital and repairs to building infrastructure?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (15:02): I thank the member for Florey for her question. I acknowledge her outstanding contribution to the people of the north-east and I acknowledge her ongoing interest in the Modbury Hospital. I did visit the Modbury Hospital on the morning of 24 April, and I was accompanied by the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, the Hon. Stephen Wade. I was also accompanied by three local members—people who care about their community and people who know that the people in the local area would like to see a Modbury Hospital that reflects the needs of the local community.

Those three people who accompanied me on that visit were the member for Florey, the member for King and the member for Newland. It is interesting that the north-east was historically a stronghold of the Australian Labor Party and now there is not a single member in that area, because the people on those seats opposite—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It is interesting then. It will be interesting to see what the member for Wright actually thinks about his party's position to deny the people of the north-east the services that that they require. I am surprised that those opposite would want to draw attention to the fact that they have one in their midst who is not standing up for his community. When the member for Florey—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —was confronted by those on her side who didn't believe in the cause of the people that she represented, what did she do? She didn't stand for it. She fought for the rights of the people within her party, and when they didn't stand up for it, when they actually challenged her in that seat for the preselection, she walked, and so she should.

I enjoyed my visit to the Modbury Hospital. It is an excellent hospital and it has some excellent services in that hospital. I particularly enjoyed visiting the palliative care unit within that hospital. As you would be aware, sir, the government has a commitment for a $15 million upgrade to the palliative care services at the Modbury Hospital.

I also had an opportunity to visit the hospital's inpatient mental health facility, which is known as Woodleigh House. Most interestingly, I had the opportunity to visit the site of the hospital's former high dependency unit, which was closed by the former government in March 2016. Those opposite, apart from those people that are sitting there on the crossbenches—not you, member for Enfield, but the rest of the crossbench—know that one of the most important services that we need to provide as a government are the health services that are required by local constituents. It was a great pleasure to visit that hospital. After I left that visit, I know that those three members, with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, had an opportunity to sit down with clinicians to talk through some of the issues associated with bringing the HDU back into place at the Modbury Hospital.

We believe that the HDU, which was in place until March 2016, needs to be put back in place, and we need to do that in a safe manner. We believe that re-establishing the HDU at Modbury will reduce the risks to patients with more than one condition, making more procedures possible at the Modbury Hospital, providing a base for a medical emergency team within the hospital, easing the pressure on the Modbury Hospital's emergency department, reducing the need for ambulance transfers from the Modbury Hospital to other hospitals (in particular the Lyell McEwin Hospital), enabling patients requiring breathing support to be stabilised and easing the pressure on the Lyell McEwin Hospital.

The SPEAKER: The member's time has expired. The member for Enfield.

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