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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-02 Daily Xml
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Public Works Committee: Flinders Medical Centre New 20-Bed Inpatient Ward

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:20): I move:

That the 33rd report of the committee, entitled 'Flinders Medical Centre new 20-bed inpatient ward', be noted.

The Department for Health and Wellbeing, or SA Health, proposes to deliver a new 20-bed inpatient ward at Flinders Medical Centre through a comprehensive refurbishment of existing non-clinical areas. This initiative will be completed prior to the Flinders Medical Centre's major redevelopment works anticipated for completion in the 2027-28 financial year and will create additional inpatient bed capacity. The project forms part of the state and commonwealth governments' $400 million commitment to upgrade and expand the Flinders Medical Centre. The total investing budget for the project is $12 million. Construction works have commenced, with practical completion in March 2024.

The Flinders Medical Centre forms part of the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network and provides care for people living in the southern Adelaide suburbs, surrounding regional areas and the Northern Territory. It is the largest hospital servicing the southern metropolitan area and is one of the two major trauma centres in South Australia.

Flinders Medical Centre provides core health services, which include medical, surgical, rehabilitation, aged care, mental health, and women's and children's services. The hospital provides whole-of-life care, from neonatal services through to palliative care, and offers an extensive range of acute inpatient, outpatient, and allied health services.

The Southern Adelaide Local Health Network's catchment population is increasing and it is significantly ageing. It is projected that over the next 20 years there will be a 75 per cent growth of the over 75 age group, which will drive an increase in the need for healthcare services. Older demographics are the highest consumers of healthcare services, and this health network will have one of the oldest demographics in Australia.

The southern redevelopment project has been created to address the issues with rising demand for health care in South Australia, with a primary intent to increase hospital bed capacity for the communities of southern Adelaide and improve emergency department patient flows. The new 20-bed inpatient ward will free up existing ward space, easing pressures on patient flows and potential bed block. The ward will be directed at assisting the older population through the delivery of a specialist acute medical unit for older persons and will house the Older Persons' Assessment and Liaison team, known as OPAL, and the Residential Care Outreach Team, known as RCOT. OPAL and RCOT are responsible for providing specialist care for older persons.

The OPAL service provides a care pathway for the elderly presenting to the emergency department with signs including increasing cognitive impairment, multiple falls, and confusion and frailty, while the RCOT team admits residents from aged-care facilities with the aim to return them within 72 hours of admission.

The 20 additional inpatient overnight bed places provide a means of effectively co-locating specialist care services for older patients, with an average length of stay of approximately three days. Along with offering a specialist acute medical unit for older persons, the ward will consist of a dementia-friendly design and additional space for diversional therapy. The project will deliver contemporary health infrastructure to support the ongoing functionality of the two emergency department pathways to ease pressure on emergency department beds and support patient flows.

Plans submitted by SA Health call for the construction of a new inpatient ward, which will comprise:

20 patient bed places with a mixture of single and shared rooms;

central diversional therapy space for allied health functions, including physiotherapy and occupational therapy, mobility and assessments, and exercises;

a quiet and private meeting area;

a central patient lounge to provide seating and a respite area for older patients walking to the ward;

a dedicated trainee medical officer and multidisciplinary allied health office space for clinical staff;

a staff base adjacent to the ward entrance with an integrated medication room fit with automated drug dispensing cabinets; and

a staff room and meeting area with kitchenette facilities and secure staff lockers.

The project team have established formal processes to ensure that ecologically sustainable development principles have been incorporated and integrated into the design, construction and operation of the new ward. These formal processes will be implemented into the works during all phases of the project life cycle and will seek to enhance ecologically sustainable development features in the existing building and new building components where practicable.

SA Health states that consultation and engagement has been a key theme throughout the concept planning and will continue with various stakeholders during the design and construction process. Stakeholders and specialist consultation include but are not limited to clinicians, work health and safety, infection control and hygiene advisers, and industrial bodies. This consultation will continue, and stakeholders will remain informed of the works as it progresses through construction and into service readiness.

The committee examined written and oral evidence in relation to the Flinders Medical Centre new 20-bed inpatient ward project. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were Mr John Harrison, Director of Building Projects, Department for Infrastructure and Transport; Mr Jeremy Kelly, Principal Architect, Silver Thomas Hanley; Ms Melissa Nozza, Director, Capital Projects and Infrastructure, Department for Health and Wellbeing; and Ms Amy Ross, Acting Executive Director, Infrastructure and Digital Health, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. I thank the witnesses for their time. I would also like to thank the member for Davenport for her written statement supporting this project in her electorate.

Based upon the evidence considered and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public works.

Motion carried.

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