❓ Ms. Collins questions the Premier on healthcare investment, particularly in the northern suburbs. The Premier highlights increased funding, workforce growth, and the Joondalup Health Campus expansion as key benefits.
AnsweredQoN 176Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH —
INVESTMENT
176. Ms C.M. COLLINS to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to provide high-quality accessible health services for Western Australians.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house how the Cook Labor government is creating quality
healthcare facilities for future generations?
(2) Can the
Premier advise how the northern suburbs will benefit from this government's
reforms and investment in our health system?
INVESTMENT
176. Ms C.M. COLLINS to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to provide high-quality accessible health services for Western Australians.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house how the Cook Labor government is creating quality
healthcare facilities for future generations?
(2) Can the
Premier advise how the northern suburbs will benefit from this government's
reforms and investment in our health system?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. It is a great question, and it was terrific
to have the member with us for an important
announcement the other day. The WA Labor government has ensured that our health
system is the best funded in the country. We have the highest per capita
spending on hospitals of any state—15 per cent above the national
average. Since 2017, we have boosted that annual funding by 33 per cent. At the
same time, we have grown the health workforce by 30 per cent, including 4 000
additional nurses and 1 600 additional
doctors. A significant proportion of our investment in health is in the growing
northern suburbs of the metropolitan area.
I was pleased to be in Joondalup
yesterday with my colleagues, in particular the Minister for Health, to mark
another milestone towards improved health care in the northern suburbs.
Yesterday, we confirmed that we will be
extending the Ramsey Health Care contract at Joondalup Health Campus to
continue running services until June
2043. The new agreement has been some time in the making, but it extends the
Ramsey contract by a further 15 years, providing long-term stability for
that healthcare service. We know that the
right settings—that is, the appropriate mix of public and private
health care—significantly improve the way that we provide health
care in the community. The extension of the Ramsey contract will provide it with certainty into the future. It has enabled
Ramsey, in turn, to make a $190 million commitment to the upgrades for the
private hospital, creating a new state-of-the-art operating theatre complex and
a 55 per cent increase in bed capacity. This is in addition to the $269 million
investment that my government and the federal government have made in Joondalup
hospital to continue to upgrade its services. That investment includes a new
112-bed public ward block, on which construction began in December last year.
It will also link to the recently completed 102-bed mental health unit in
Joondalup, which opened in August last year. Combined, these works will
transition Joondalup Health Campus into one of the biggest health campuses in
the state. It is a significant investment to make sure that our growing
northern suburbs have access to world-class health care.
Joondalup is one snapshot of a much
broader investment in our hospital system, which is more than just
infrastructure and staffing. We have had major clinical reforms, including the
WA virtual emergency department, the State Health Operations Centre and the
patient transport coordination hub. Last year, ambulance ramping reduced by 20 per
cent compared with 2022, and it was down 44 per cent in December 2023 alone
compared with December 2022. We are continuing to make the investments, to make
the decisions and to grow our health system to make sure it continues to
provide great health care, in this case, to the mums and dads and older Western
Australians in the northern suburbs. We know that the population there will
continue to grow and because of our investment and the great partnership with Ramsey Health Care, we will continue to make sure
that health care in the northern suburbs is world-class for many years
to come.
thank the member for the question. It is a great question, and it was terrific
to have the member with us for an important
announcement the other day. The WA Labor government has ensured that our health
system is the best funded in the country. We have the highest per capita
spending on hospitals of any state—15 per cent above the national
average. Since 2017, we have boosted that annual funding by 33 per cent. At the
same time, we have grown the health workforce by 30 per cent, including 4 000
additional nurses and 1 600 additional
doctors. A significant proportion of our investment in health is in the growing
northern suburbs of the metropolitan area.
I was pleased to be in Joondalup
yesterday with my colleagues, in particular the Minister for Health, to mark
another milestone towards improved health care in the northern suburbs.
Yesterday, we confirmed that we will be
extending the Ramsey Health Care contract at Joondalup Health Campus to
continue running services until June
2043. The new agreement has been some time in the making, but it extends the
Ramsey contract by a further 15 years, providing long-term stability for
that healthcare service. We know that the
right settings—that is, the appropriate mix of public and private
health care—significantly improve the way that we provide health
care in the community. The extension of the Ramsey contract will provide it with certainty into the future. It has enabled
Ramsey, in turn, to make a $190 million commitment to the upgrades for the
private hospital, creating a new state-of-the-art operating theatre complex and
a 55 per cent increase in bed capacity. This is in addition to the $269 million
investment that my government and the federal government have made in Joondalup
hospital to continue to upgrade its services. That investment includes a new
112-bed public ward block, on which construction began in December last year.
It will also link to the recently completed 102-bed mental health unit in
Joondalup, which opened in August last year. Combined, these works will
transition Joondalup Health Campus into one of the biggest health campuses in
the state. It is a significant investment to make sure that our growing
northern suburbs have access to world-class health care.
Joondalup is one snapshot of a much
broader investment in our hospital system, which is more than just
infrastructure and staffing. We have had major clinical reforms, including the
WA virtual emergency department, the State Health Operations Centre and the
patient transport coordination hub. Last year, ambulance ramping reduced by 20 per
cent compared with 2022, and it was down 44 per cent in December 2023 alone
compared with December 2022. We are continuing to make the investments, to make
the decisions and to grow our health system to make sure it continues to
provide great health care, in this case, to the mums and dads and older Western
Australians in the northern suburbs. We know that the population there will
continue to grow and because of our investment and the great partnership with Ramsey Health Care, we will continue to make sure
that health care in the northern suburbs is world-class for many years
to come.
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