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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-05-25 Daily Xml
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Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:27): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding health. Given footage showing 11 ambulances ramped outside the Flinders Medical Centre last night, can the minister explain why patients are yet again spending hours queued outside our hospitals?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:27): I thank the honourable member for her question. One of the points I have been making in recent months is that the increased pressure on our emergency departments, particularly the last month or two of last year and the first four months of this year, has been significantly related to an increased complexity in cases.

My advice—and it is only oral at this stage, because yesterday was only yesterday—was that in the last few days the pressure in the EDs was more related to presentations. I am advised that some of our hospitals actually had their busiest day on record in terms of presentations to their EDs in recent days.

Flinders Medical Centre was certainly a hospital that was under pressure yesterday. I want to thank all the paramedics, the ED staff and the hospital staff who responded to that situation. Talking to people involved in the response at Flinders Medical Centre, I am advised that it was significantly in relation to the demand within the ED, not so much in terms of availability of beds.

I am also advised that the hospital was able to clear the ramp—I think it was between 11 and 12—and that there was no more ramping overnight. I certainly appreciate that it was a high demand day for the Flinders Medical Centre and I thank the staff who responded. Of course, the Flinders Medical Centre is particularly vulnerable at the moment because we are in the process of upgrading it, so we are currently 14 treatment bays down. This is part of the government's more than $100 million investment in emergency departments in this state.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I appreciate my honourable colleagues' concern that I have underestimated the government's investment. The $100 million in relation to emergency departments is part of the broader $1 billion investment in health and it is a very needed investment. In terms of the Flinders Medical Centre, I was absolutely delighted to be able to go down to the opening of the paediatric emergency department recently and see what the purpose-built facility will provide for children and adolescents in the south.

The Hon. J.E. Hanson interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Hanson!

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Chuck him out.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway is not helping.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In terms of the completion of the upgrade to the emergency department, which I think is late June or early July, I know the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department team and, for that matter, the whole hospital are looking forward to having a fully upgraded hospital to take them into the years ahead.

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