❓ Ms. Freeman questions the Minister for Health on how the relocation of King Edward Memorial Hospital aligns with the Sustainable Health Review and patient-first commitment. The Minister confirms planning is underway with budget allocation, contrasting it with the previous government's inaction.
AnsweredQoN 275Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SUSTAINABLE HEALTH REVIEW — KING EDWARD
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN
275. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to the long-overdue relocation of King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how this commitment delivers on both the
recommendations of the sustainable health review and the government's
commitment to putting patients first?
(2) Can the minister
advise the house how the government's commitment to King Edward
Memorial Hospital compares with that of the previous Liberal–National
government?
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN
275. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to the long-overdue relocation of King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how this commitment delivers on both the
recommendations of the sustainable health review and the government's
commitment to putting patients first?
(2) Can the minister
advise the house how the government's commitment to King Edward
Memorial Hospital compares with that of the previous Liberal–National
government?
AnswerView source ↗
I would like to thank the member for the question and also
thank her for attending the launch of the sustainable health review this
morning. It was a terrific event; 500 people turned up, including the member
for Churchlands. It was very good to see a number of folk there and the
interest that the sustainable health review has generated.
(1)–(2)
I can confirm that this morning we released the ''Sustainable Health
Review: Final Report to the Western Australian
Government''. For those who are unfamiliar with it, the review lays the
foundations for the delivery of health services in Western Australia for
the next decade and, in particular, continues the McGowan government's promise that we will put patients first.
The report fulfils a McGowan government election commitment. I am very
proud to say that, in addition to that election commitment, we have endorsed
each of the final report's eight enduring strategies and 30 recommendations.
Even though the enduring strategies of the final report talk about a cultural
shift towards more focus on and investment in prevention and community-based
care, we cannot forget the importance of having a contemporary hospital system
that backs up those services. That is why I was very pleased to announce this
morning that we will move immediately on to the long-overdue planning for the
delivery of King Edward Memorial Hospital at the Queen Elizabeth II site. It
comes with a $3.3 million allocation in the upcoming state budget to start the
crucial first steps of planning.
This is an exciting and significant
step. We all probably have personal experience of the fact that it is a great
hospital. It is responsible for between 20 and 25 per cent of our deliveries in
Western Australia; 6 000 babies are born there each year. However, because it
initially started back in 1916, the buildings are getting old, and the staff
and patients deserve a modern and contemporary facility.
We will move now to implementing the
planning for King Edward Memorial Hospital so we can move as swiftly as
possible to developing the new mothers and babies hospital at the QEII site.
The Department of Health and health service providers will spend the next three
to six months planning the implementation of the other sustainable health
review recommendations for how we can change behaviour, change culture, and get
our health system on a sustainable footing.
This is a really important
announcement. As the Minister for Transport; Planning would know, it is really about implementing the recommendations of the Reid
review, which she was involved in in the early 2000s . That was about
moving King Edward Memorial Hospital to the QEII site. This is something that successive governments have failed to get onto. I recall
that back in 2011, Hon Kim Hames said, ''Yes, we'll get
onto moving that site, and it should be at QEII in 2015.''
Mr C.J. Tallentire interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Just after they
did Royal Perth Hospital!
As we can see, it is time to get on
with this very important —
Dr M.D. Nahan : Are you
committed to rebuilding the hospital?
Mr R.H. COOK : That is what
was just said. We have $3.3 million in the budget for planning for the
hospital, and we will work on a business case —
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, how many times do I have to warn you? Listen to the answer.
Mr R.H. COOK : The $3.3 million
will go to the detailed planning and development of a business case for that
hospital. We are doing this because we want to put patients first. We want to
put the staff in that hospital first. We want to ensure the safety and quality
of maternity services for mothers and babies in Western Australia.
thank her for attending the launch of the sustainable health review this
morning. It was a terrific event; 500 people turned up, including the member
for Churchlands. It was very good to see a number of folk there and the
interest that the sustainable health review has generated.
(1)–(2)
I can confirm that this morning we released the ''Sustainable Health
Review: Final Report to the Western Australian
Government''. For those who are unfamiliar with it, the review lays the
foundations for the delivery of health services in Western Australia for
the next decade and, in particular, continues the McGowan government's promise that we will put patients first.
The report fulfils a McGowan government election commitment. I am very
proud to say that, in addition to that election commitment, we have endorsed
each of the final report's eight enduring strategies and 30 recommendations.
Even though the enduring strategies of the final report talk about a cultural
shift towards more focus on and investment in prevention and community-based
care, we cannot forget the importance of having a contemporary hospital system
that backs up those services. That is why I was very pleased to announce this
morning that we will move immediately on to the long-overdue planning for the
delivery of King Edward Memorial Hospital at the Queen Elizabeth II site. It
comes with a $3.3 million allocation in the upcoming state budget to start the
crucial first steps of planning.
This is an exciting and significant
step. We all probably have personal experience of the fact that it is a great
hospital. It is responsible for between 20 and 25 per cent of our deliveries in
Western Australia; 6 000 babies are born there each year. However, because it
initially started back in 1916, the buildings are getting old, and the staff
and patients deserve a modern and contemporary facility.
We will move now to implementing the
planning for King Edward Memorial Hospital so we can move as swiftly as
possible to developing the new mothers and babies hospital at the QEII site.
The Department of Health and health service providers will spend the next three
to six months planning the implementation of the other sustainable health
review recommendations for how we can change behaviour, change culture, and get
our health system on a sustainable footing.
This is a really important
announcement. As the Minister for Transport; Planning would know, it is really about implementing the recommendations of the Reid
review, which she was involved in in the early 2000s . That was about
moving King Edward Memorial Hospital to the QEII site. This is something that successive governments have failed to get onto. I recall
that back in 2011, Hon Kim Hames said, ''Yes, we'll get
onto moving that site, and it should be at QEII in 2015.''
Mr C.J. Tallentire interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Just after they
did Royal Perth Hospital!
As we can see, it is time to get on
with this very important —
Dr M.D. Nahan : Are you
committed to rebuilding the hospital?
Mr R.H. COOK : That is what
was just said. We have $3.3 million in the budget for planning for the
hospital, and we will work on a business case —
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, how many times do I have to warn you? Listen to the answer.
Mr R.H. COOK : The $3.3 million
will go to the detailed planning and development of a business case for that
hospital. We are doing this because we want to put patients first. We want to
put the staff in that hospital first. We want to ensure the safety and quality
of maternity services for mothers and babies in Western Australia.
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.