Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-07 Daily Xml

Contents

Royal Adelaide Hospital

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. The minister has confirmed that any assaults which do happen will be fully investigated, but what action has the minister taken to ensure medical staff are not put in harm's way due to any problems caused by ramping and overcrowding in the first place?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:59): The fact of the matter is that I rely on SA Health management at the hospitals to continue to maintain a safe workplace and also, to be frank, I rely on the oversight of bodies such as SafeWork SA to highlight issues. Certainly, both SafeWork SA itself and, as I understand it, employee organisation representatives authorised by SafeWork SA undertake inspections of facilities. It is also the case that the Chief Psychiatrist visits specifically both mental health facilities and also some other facilities at which people with mental health issues are housed, as well as the Principal Community Visitor. I fundamentally rely on SA Health management to maintain safe workplaces and also a range of other oversight bodies to highlight issues as they arise.