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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-10-16 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Elective Surgery

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:38): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding elective surgery.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The minister is reported in The Advertiser this morning as insisting that surgeries will not be cancelled, stating:

I can assure patients if they are ready for elective surgery on Thursday or beyond the doctors, nurses and hospitals will be ready to provide their care…

The minister, in The Advertiser, has guaranteed that elective surgeries will not be cancelled. My question to the minister is: will the minister in this chamber repeat that guarantee—that elective surgeries will not be cancelled?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:39): I thank the honourable member for his question. In answering the question, I refer the honourable member to a statement issued earlier today by the Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer of SA Health, and every executive director of nursing in the local health networks in South Australia, and it reads:

There has been a large amount of media coverage in the past week regarding potential—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I cannot hear the minister.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: It reads:

There has been a large amount of media coverage in the past week regarding potential elective surgery cancellations due to proposed industrial relations actions by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation SA branch. We, the Executive Directors of Nursing/Midwifery for each of the South Australian hospitals and local health networks, would like to reassure all of our patients that no elective surgery will be cancelled as a result of this action.

At the South Australian Employment Tribunal on the weekend it was agreed that the actions planned by the ANMF posed a risk to patients. SA Health, in the best interests of patient safety, agreed to the ANMF advising their members to follow the SA Health 'Elective Surgery Policy' and the associated [LHN] documents.

Patients should continue to prepare for their elective procedures as normal, unless specifically contacted by the hospital.

As the nursing and midwifery leaders across the public health system we would also like to reiterate that our patients' wellbeing is our priority and we will continue to provide safe and appropriate care to the South Australian community.

On the basis of that statement and other advice I have had from the department, I assure the people of South Australia that, in accordance with the industrial tribunal, they can expect to get their elective surgery on Thursday and beyond.

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