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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-06-19 Daily Xml
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Answers to Questions

Modbury Hospital

3 The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15 May 2018).

1. Did SA Health provide any advice whatsoever indicating that a stand-alone high dependency unit (HDU) at Modbury Hospital could lead to unsafe patient outcomes? If so, what was the nature of the advice?

2. Will a stand-alone HDU at Modbury Hospital receive accreditation from the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand?

3. Has the minister received any advice whatsoever regarding a stand-alone HDU receiving accreditation from the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand?

4. Will the minister guarantee that 24/7 cardiac emergency services will be restored at The QEH within 100 days, as outlined in the Liberal Party's election commitment?

5. Can the minister guarantee that no clinical services will be removed from The QEH?

6. Did the minister receive any advice whatsoever showing that signing up to the Federal National Health Agreement would deliver a worse outcome for South Australia than the previously signed Federal Hospital Funding Agreement?

7. What are the projections for funding to be received by SA under the new Federal National Hospital Agreement compared to the original agreement?

8. Can the minister guarantee that no services will be removed from any country hospitals?

9. Which elective surgery procedures will be performed at the reopened Repat as per the Liberal Party election commitment?

10. How many additional hospital beds will be opened as part of the winter demand management for 2018, and at which hospitals?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing): I have been advised:

1. I can confirm I received advice from SA Health indicating in the absence of establishing a new intensive care unit at Modbury Hospital, appropriate levels of clinical safety may not be achieved with the establishment of a stand-alone high dependency unit.

2. That is a matter for the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand if and when accreditation is sought.

3. I can confirm that I have received advice from SA Health indicating accreditation from the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand would be unlikely with the establishment of a high dependency unit without appropriate intensive care unit support.

4. Work is on track to meet the government’s commitment to ensure TQEH has the capacity to deal with cardiac emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the government’s first 100 days.

5. All decisions relating to clinical services are made on the basis on patient safety and clinical need.

6. South Australia has not yet signed up to a new national health agreement. What the Premier signed in April this year was the heads of agreement between the commonwealth and the states and territories on public hospital funding and health reform (the heads of agreement). What the heads of agreement does not do is outline specific funding allocations to any jurisdiction.

7. As the new national health agreement is still in the process of being negotiated, the government is not yet in a position to make any direct comparisons between the existing and new funding arrangements and levels.

8. The Marshall government has a longstanding commitment to country hospitals and health services. There is a large focus by this government on country South Australia as we move to local level decision-making and the establishment of boards and separate regional health networks.

Other key commitments regarding country health include:

investing in country hospitals by addressing the backlog of capital works, as well as several specific commitments to regional and country hospitals;

increasing the level of chemotherapy being delivered in country South Australia;

developing and implementing a rural health workforce plan.

9. SA Health is currently in the process of identifying opportunities for public health services at the Repat site based on asset functionality, with the use of elective facilities a key component of this planning.

10. The Department for Health and Wellbeing does not commission or fund beds. Acute activity is funded based on separations and a target length of stay. Hospitals have the ability to increase the bed base to cater for increased demand.

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