❓ Hon. Sally Talbot questions the Minister for Health regarding cuts to Community Physiotherapy Services, particularly those impacting Parkinson's patients. The Minister acknowledges the issue, explains the funding situation, and states that services are being reinstated with additional state funding.
AnsweredQoN 27Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
COMMUNITY
PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICES
27. Hon SALLY TALBOT to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the letter dated 9 April 2013 sent to clients of
the Department of Health's Community Physiotherapy Services headed ''Community
Physiotherapy Services activity reductions''.
(1) Is it true
that this activity reduction is due to the popularity of these services run in
15 different locations around the metropolitan area?
(2) Is the
minister aware that the services that have been cut are specifically designed
for people with Parkinson's disease, who regard the classes as a
critical part of their ability to cope with everyday life?
(3) Why were
clients given absolutely no personal or advance warning of these cuts, being
informed in April that their term 2 classes would not recommence?
(4) How can the minister justify cutting such a vital
front-line health service?
PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICES
27. Hon SALLY TALBOT to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the letter dated 9 April 2013 sent to clients of
the Department of Health's Community Physiotherapy Services headed ''Community
Physiotherapy Services activity reductions''.
(1) Is it true
that this activity reduction is due to the popularity of these services run in
15 different locations around the metropolitan area?
(2) Is the
minister aware that the services that have been cut are specifically designed
for people with Parkinson's disease, who regard the classes as a
critical part of their ability to cope with everyday life?
(3) Why were
clients given absolutely no personal or advance warning of these cuts, being
informed in April that their term 2 classes would not recommence?
(4) How can the minister justify cutting such a vital
front-line health service?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this
question. The following information has been provided to me by the Minister for
Health —
(1) Yes. Due
to increased demand for the services and funding being fully expended, some
services have been deferred. Community Physiotherapy Services is not a
Parkinson's-specific service. CPS has always been state funded, and
over recent years it has received additional federal funding to deliver up to
230 classes a week across the metropolitan area. These classes run in multiple
locations.
(2) Yes. Some
Parkinson's classes under the Community Physiotherapy Services program,
along with other condition-specific classes under the program, have been
deferred. The minister has provided additional state funding for these classes
to recommence and continue until the end of June 2013. Classes are currently
being reinstated.
(3) Clients
were made aware as soon as possible about the deferring of their classes. Staff
worked to minimise the impact on the clients and define which classes could be
maintained over this period; it was felt that it was preferable to disrupting
the classes across multiple terms.
(4) The
minister has not cut the services. The services have had a combination of
federal and state funding. The federal funding has been spent due to the level
of demand, and the minister has allocated $50 000 of state funding to
recommence the deferred classes and continue them until June 2013. The minister
has written to the federal government requesting continued funding for this
program.
question. The following information has been provided to me by the Minister for
Health —
(1) Yes. Due
to increased demand for the services and funding being fully expended, some
services have been deferred. Community Physiotherapy Services is not a
Parkinson's-specific service. CPS has always been state funded, and
over recent years it has received additional federal funding to deliver up to
230 classes a week across the metropolitan area. These classes run in multiple
locations.
(2) Yes. Some
Parkinson's classes under the Community Physiotherapy Services program,
along with other condition-specific classes under the program, have been
deferred. The minister has provided additional state funding for these classes
to recommence and continue until the end of June 2013. Classes are currently
being reinstated.
(3) Clients
were made aware as soon as possible about the deferring of their classes. Staff
worked to minimise the impact on the clients and define which classes could be
maintained over this period; it was felt that it was preferable to disrupting
the classes across multiple terms.
(4) The
minister has not cut the services. The services have had a combination of
federal and state funding. The federal funding has been spent due to the level
of demand, and the minister has allocated $50 000 of state funding to
recommence the deferred classes and continue them until June 2013. The minister
has written to the federal government requesting continued funding for this
program.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.