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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-03-19 Daily Xml
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Ambulance Response Times

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier direct the South Australian Ambulance Service to release the full review into Eddie's death to his family? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: The Chief Executive Officer of SAAS confirmed, during a Budget and Finance Committee hearing on Friday 15 March, that Eddie's family were only given a copy of the seven findings and recommendations. These are publicly available.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:14): I start by saying this was an absolutely shocking case that, I think, shocked all South Australians, and has been taken extremely seriously by the government, by SA Health more broadly and also by the SA Ambulance Service.

Promptly upon this issue becoming aware to us, we made sure that this was being reviewed. We conducted a review jointly by SA Ambulance Service and senior staff within it but also in conjunction with the Chief Medical Officer of South Australia, Dr Mike Cusack, who looked into this matter and provided information to the government, which is in findings and recommendations which were released in the past week or so. Those findings and recommendations outline, as the Premier has said, issues in terms of both ramping but also a number of matters that the Ambulance Service could have addressed in terms of helping to achieve a faster response in this instance.

Very specifically, this is not a report into the cause of death, which will ultimately be a matter for the Coroner to investigate, and we understand the Coroner will be looking into this matter. Secondly, it is not a report into what happened at the care accommodation this person was in, because obviously that is out of the scope of us in terms of SA Health and SA Ambulance Service.

SA Ambulance, the reviewers and Dr Cusack have been in contact regularly with the family, have met with the family, have provided information to the family, have provided briefings to the family. As per what Mr Elliott said in his evidence to the Budget and Finance Committee last week, they stand willing to further meet with the family and have further discussions and provide any additional information that the family would seek.

From the beginning of this inquiry, it was made clear to the public when it was first announced that the findings and recommendations of it would be made public, and that is what has been done, and those have been released in full. SA Ambulance Service and SA Health are now working on implementing those recommendations as soon as possible.

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