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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-04-30 Daily Xml
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NEONATAL HEALTH

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:46): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing questions to the minister representing the Minister for Health on the subject of neonatal health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: In 2011, hospitals around the UK began to use the Bedside Assessment, Stabilisation and Initial Cardiorespiratory Support Trolley, better known as the BASICS trolley. I'm sure Hansard, as well as myself, are all very glad of that. The BASICS trolley is an innovative, award-winning device invented by retired medical consultant David Hutchon. It is essentially a mobile version of the technology more commonly used to resuscitate and stabilise infants, immediately after their birth.

At present, because the more commonly used machine is not mobile and much bigger than the BASICS trolley, if an infant needs resuscitation immediately after birth, medical staff have no choice but to cut the umbilical cord in order to take the infant over to the machine. This is very unfortunate since there is a growing amount of evidence to suggest that leaving the newborn attached to the mother by the umbilical cord for even a short time after birth can, in many cases, have significant health benefits for that infant, including a reduced incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage and late-onset sepsis in very premature babies, and an increased blood volume in general, just to name a few.

With the use of the BASICS trolley, doctors are able to leave the baby attached to the umbilical cord and still resuscitate if necessary. This could be particularly important in helping weak and preterm infants fight off disease and health complications that could have long-term impacts on a child's life, on a family's life and perhaps even on the state's health budget. There may be, of course, the added emotional benefits for mothers who may otherwise be distressed and anxious when their baby is taken away from them for resuscitation and they have a limited ability to know what is happening. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many births occur in South Australia each year and how many of these require the use of resuscitation intervention or similar health measures in the minutes after birth?

2. Have the minister and his department investigated the use of BASICS trolleys within the state's birthing units?

3. Are BASICS trolleys currently being used in any South Australian hospitals and, if not, why not?

4. Will the minister commit to funding the important BASICS trolley in all South Australian birthing units?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:49): I thank the honourable member for her most important four questions about medical equipment and neonates. I undertake to take that question to the minister in the other place—the Minister for Health and Ageing—and seek a response on her behalf.

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