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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-27 Daily Xml
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Southern Adelaide Local Health Network

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:17): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister explain the performance of emergency departments in the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: The 2023-24 state budget shows that of all patients presenting to our emergency departments in the south, only 24 per cent are seen on time, that is, less than one in four people.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:17): Once again, clearly under the four years previous they didn't meet those targets either, and once again—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Once again, the critical need that we have at Flinders Medical Centre and Noarlunga Hospital is more inpatient beds to make sure that people don't get stuck in the emergency department, which is what happened. The alternative plan that was tried and failed previously was to close inpatient beds, convert them to emergency department beds, which an independent report commissioned by the previous government just said made the situation worse.

We have an alternative plan, which is to expand the number of beds quite dramatically across the southern network. In fact, at our election we promised 24 additional beds at Flinders and 24 additional beds at Noarlunga. Upon coming to office and seeing how bad the situation had become, how big the challenge was in terms of addressing the lack of inpatient beds, we have now gone substantially further in terms of our commitments.

Mrs Hurn: And look what it's delivering.

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Instead of delivering 24 beds at Flinders Medical Centre, our budgeted plan is now to deliver 132 beds at Flinders Medical Centre, a vastly substantial increase in terms of the capacity of that hospital. Instead of 24 beds at Noarlunga Hospital, we are now going to be delivering 48 beds at Noarlunga Hospital—the biggest capital upgrade that hospital has ever seen. Very clearly, whether you talk to any of the experts or any of the clinicians, they will tell you that the key critical problem that we have is the access block, that people get stuck in the emergency department waiting for a bed.

While we are in the process of delivering those major upgrades, as the member for Florey tabled a report from the Public Works Committee today, we are delighted that we are in fact fast-tracking a number of those beds at Flinders Medical Centre to make sure that they can come on as soon as possible to make sure that we can get as much of that additional capacity as quickly as possible. Essentially, we are moving out the executive staff of the hospital to convert that area into inpatient space because we critically need those beds, because every day when you have people stuck in the emergency department, they can't get into those beds and that means other people can't get into them when they need them and that causes the delays in terms of people being seen.

This is a government that absolutely recognises the problem. We have a plan to address the problem. We don't have a plan in terms of closing beds like those previous; we don't have a plan in terms of cutting—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —and making our frontline staff redundant.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hartley is warned.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: We are increasing staff and we have already increased our staff by 550 in our first year of office and we need those additional beds, those additional staff, in terms of being able to get people through.

The other component, which we are thankful that the Treasurer was able to commit in the budget last sitting week, is in terms of additional staff to help the access block that happens in terms of people being discharged who otherwise are healthy to be discharged but get stuck waiting on the weekends. Having those additional doctors, additional allied health professionals who are able to make sure that people can get timely discharge from the hospital so that we can free up those beds means that people from the waiting room or the ambulances can come in and be seen at an appropriate time. These are the critical things that need to be done. There is no alternative plan as to what should be done except for cuts, cuts, cuts and we are not going to go down that path.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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