❓ Opposition questions Health Minister about budget pressures, specifically regarding bed availability at Joondalup and overall funding. Minister deflects, citing budget process and highlighting a new activity-based funding model and mid-year review.
AnsweredQoN 309Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH — BUDGET
309. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the significant budget
pressures facing the health system, including efficiency dividend requirements,
new salary cap requirements and the fact that the Department of Health required
$85 billion in urgent funding this year.
(1) Is it true
that the government is unable to open 70 beds at Joondalup Health Campus
because of budget constraints?
(2) Is it also
true that the 2012–13 budget did not reflect planned activity levels,
and WA Health will need at least $150 million more in 2013–14 to
sustain normal activity growth?
(3) How will the
minister achieve the required efficiency dividends and salary caps while
maintaining hospital services?
OF HEALTH — BUDGET
309. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the significant budget
pressures facing the health system, including efficiency dividend requirements,
new salary cap requirements and the fact that the Department of Health required
$85 billion in urgent funding this year.
(1) Is it true
that the government is unable to open 70 beds at Joondalup Health Campus
because of budget constraints?
(2) Is it also
true that the 2012–13 budget did not reflect planned activity levels,
and WA Health will need at least $150 million more in 2013–14 to
sustain normal activity growth?
(3) How will the
minister achieve the required efficiency dividends and salary caps while
maintaining hospital services?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
will not pre-empt what happens during budget time; members opposite will find
that out with everyone else when the budget is handed down. We now have a very
good relationship with Treasury and we meet on regular occasions and
collectively go through the progress of and demands in health to see how we are
tracking. We have changed the previous system that was in place to an
activity-based funding model. There are different ways to manage that. One is
that each year we work out what the activity will be and we provide funding for
that amount. A far better mechanism is to look through the year at how we are
tracking, how the demands are growing and the services we have provided. Hence
we had a midyear review, during which an assessment was made of the activity of
Health during the year and as a result it was funded an additional $85 million.
That is a regular and ongoing method.
An opposition member: The Treasurer
looks happy.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : That is true; he is happy. That is how it needs to work.
Although we might anticipate the demands on our hospitals, they vary. Sometimes
they rise by more than other years. We need a flexible system whereby during
the year we can assess the level of demand and what the funding needs to be. I
have left a bit out, but I am sure the member will ask me about it as a
supplementary question.
will not pre-empt what happens during budget time; members opposite will find
that out with everyone else when the budget is handed down. We now have a very
good relationship with Treasury and we meet on regular occasions and
collectively go through the progress of and demands in health to see how we are
tracking. We have changed the previous system that was in place to an
activity-based funding model. There are different ways to manage that. One is
that each year we work out what the activity will be and we provide funding for
that amount. A far better mechanism is to look through the year at how we are
tracking, how the demands are growing and the services we have provided. Hence
we had a midyear review, during which an assessment was made of the activity of
Health during the year and as a result it was funded an additional $85 million.
That is a regular and ongoing method.
An opposition member: The Treasurer
looks happy.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : That is true; he is happy. That is how it needs to work.
Although we might anticipate the demands on our hospitals, they vary. Sometimes
they rise by more than other years. We need a flexible system whereby during
the year we can assess the level of demand and what the funding needs to be. I
have left a bit out, but I am sure the member will ask me about it as a
supplementary question.
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