❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health about alleged staff cuts at Rockingham General Hospital and other WA hospitals. The Minister denies widespread cuts, citing increased staffing numbers in metropolitan health services, and attributes potential issues at Rockingham to longer patient stays and higher costs.
AnsweredQoN 600Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOSPITALS — STAFFING
600. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
In the absence of the Premier, my question is to the Minister
for Health.
Dr K.D. Hames : I
am sure he is coming any second.
Mr R.H. COOK : I
refer to the job cuts in Western Australian hospitals.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that staff, including five doctors and three physiotherapists,
have not had their contracts renewed as part of staff cuts at Rockingham
General Hospital?
(2) Given that
hospitals in addition to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital are cutting staff, will
the minister today detail all the Western Australian hospital staff cuts, as he
declined to do so yesterday?
600. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
In the absence of the Premier, my question is to the Minister
for Health.
Dr K.D. Hames : I
am sure he is coming any second.
Mr R.H. COOK : I
refer to the job cuts in Western Australian hospitals.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that staff, including five doctors and three physiotherapists,
have not had their contracts renewed as part of staff cuts at Rockingham
General Hospital?
(2) Given that
hospitals in addition to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital are cutting staff, will
the minister today detail all the Western Australian hospital staff cuts, as he
declined to do so yesterday?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) No, I do not know about staff changes at —
Mr P.B. Watson :
Had a few drinks with Tony last night, did you, Premier?
Mr C.J. Barnett :
No.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That was very nasty.
Mr C.J. Barnett :
How inappropriate.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany!
Dr K.D. HAMES : No,
I do not know what the staff arrangements are at individual hospitals; in fact,
I do not know totally for staff across systems, although I can tell the member
roughly what the staff movements have been within the South Metropolitan Health
Service and the North Metropolitan Health Service. Totally contrary to the
member's suggestion that there have been cuts in staff within the
health system—which is an absolute load of nonsense—I can tell
the member what the staff numbers have gone up by in the health system over the
past nine months. These are the figures for increases in staff in the areas of
north metropolitan and south metropolitan in the past months from January to
September.
Mr M. McGowan :
What staff cuts are there? You wouldn't answer it yesterday; why don't
you answer it today?
Dr K.D. HAMES : Why
does the Leader of the Opposition not let me finish my answer in my order?
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition!
Dr K.D. HAMES : For
South Metropolitan Health Service staff, the number of nurses in that period
has increased by 501; there are 68 extra doctors in the system; and 377 extra
support staff. That is in the last nine or 10 months; I am not sure, but I am
pretty sure that it is since January. For North Metropolitan Health Service,
there have been 365 additional nurses in that time; 131 additional doctors; and
128 additional support staff. I am sure the member will agree that throughout
those systems there have been significant numbers —
Mr D.J. Kelly interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, you can ask your Whip if you wish to ask a question. I
call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
There has been a significant increase in the number of staff.
One thing that may relate to Rockingham General Hospital and
may explain why the staff numbers there may have come down slightly, is that in
the recent figures comparing hospitals in every state in Australia, I think
Rockingham came out as the worst hospital for length of stay of patient
compared with the national averages for different areas. We are going back and
looking at that because we are so far out of whack at Rockingham that it just
does not seem right. We are going back to look at how it put those figures
together, because it just seems incredible that its figures could be so far out
of whack with the rest of Australia—things such as double the length of
stay for orthopaedic things like a hip replacement, and significantly higher
than the national average for mental health patients in particular. Also, there
was the cost of service per weighted activity unit. For members who do not
understand, a patient coming in the door is not just counted; they are weighted
for the severity of their condition. So, if someone comes in with a sore
throat, they get a certain weighting; if it is severe trauma, they obviously
get a significantly higher weighting. Comparisons are worked out between
hospitals, and funding is allocated on a weighted activity unit—a WAU.
Say the average cost of providing an individual service for a hospital is $5 000
a WAU; Rockingham hospital is up over $6 000 a WAU. Its costs are significantly
higher, and it having a much longer length of stay for a particular activity
may explain that.
To answer the member for Kwinana's
question from yesterday—I apologise for missing it yesterday and for what
happened—each of the regions has gone over, to a degree, the cost
allocation for the year, and there are different reasons for that. For the
country health services, for example, we had significant increases in costs
such as bringing in extra specialists to keep numbers in in those remote areas;
also, accommodation was a significant increase in cost. We are working through
those costs, and we will work through with Treasury what those particular costs
are.
Mr
R.H. Cook : So will you provide those details by hospital?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : In other regions there are other reasons for the slight
increases in costs, but overall we landed within, I think, about one per cent
of our budget, which for a $7.5 billion budget —
Mr
M. McGowan : You had staff cuts!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : No, we have had a $300 million increase in funding, which
represents —
Mr
T.R. Buswell : Seven per cent.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : — a seven per cent increase in funding for our
hospitals that caters for increased activity. The same will happen in
Fremantle; we will have to look at Fremantle to see what the staff levels are
if we get increased activity and demand at Rockingham and so on. The whole
evolution of the Reid review is to take into account where the activity is and
move the funding to where it needs to be. I anticipate overall that, no, there
will not be any reduction in total staffing levels by us across the state.
Remember, I think we employ about one-third of the total public sector staff; I
heard the Treasurer say there were 110 000 the other day, and we have 36 000.
It is anticipated that those numbers will continue to go up because the
population is going up, the demand is going up, and we have funded according to
activity. So it is anticipated that the total number of health staff working in
this state will continue to rise, but there will be movements within that. Some
hospitals may have some reductions. I do not know what those are yet—again,
people are working through the budgets they have. My staff, Mr Speaker, tell me
off for talking too shortly, and you are telling me to wind up! If my staff are
listening, I am listening to the Speaker!
Mr P.B. Watson :
Had a few drinks with Tony last night, did you, Premier?
Mr C.J. Barnett :
No.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That was very nasty.
Mr C.J. Barnett :
How inappropriate.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany!
Dr K.D. HAMES : No,
I do not know what the staff arrangements are at individual hospitals; in fact,
I do not know totally for staff across systems, although I can tell the member
roughly what the staff movements have been within the South Metropolitan Health
Service and the North Metropolitan Health Service. Totally contrary to the
member's suggestion that there have been cuts in staff within the
health system—which is an absolute load of nonsense—I can tell
the member what the staff numbers have gone up by in the health system over the
past nine months. These are the figures for increases in staff in the areas of
north metropolitan and south metropolitan in the past months from January to
September.
Mr M. McGowan :
What staff cuts are there? You wouldn't answer it yesterday; why don't
you answer it today?
Dr K.D. HAMES : Why
does the Leader of the Opposition not let me finish my answer in my order?
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition!
Dr K.D. HAMES : For
South Metropolitan Health Service staff, the number of nurses in that period
has increased by 501; there are 68 extra doctors in the system; and 377 extra
support staff. That is in the last nine or 10 months; I am not sure, but I am
pretty sure that it is since January. For North Metropolitan Health Service,
there have been 365 additional nurses in that time; 131 additional doctors; and
128 additional support staff. I am sure the member will agree that throughout
those systems there have been significant numbers —
Mr D.J. Kelly interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, you can ask your Whip if you wish to ask a question. I
call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
There has been a significant increase in the number of staff.
One thing that may relate to Rockingham General Hospital and
may explain why the staff numbers there may have come down slightly, is that in
the recent figures comparing hospitals in every state in Australia, I think
Rockingham came out as the worst hospital for length of stay of patient
compared with the national averages for different areas. We are going back and
looking at that because we are so far out of whack at Rockingham that it just
does not seem right. We are going back to look at how it put those figures
together, because it just seems incredible that its figures could be so far out
of whack with the rest of Australia—things such as double the length of
stay for orthopaedic things like a hip replacement, and significantly higher
than the national average for mental health patients in particular. Also, there
was the cost of service per weighted activity unit. For members who do not
understand, a patient coming in the door is not just counted; they are weighted
for the severity of their condition. So, if someone comes in with a sore
throat, they get a certain weighting; if it is severe trauma, they obviously
get a significantly higher weighting. Comparisons are worked out between
hospitals, and funding is allocated on a weighted activity unit—a WAU.
Say the average cost of providing an individual service for a hospital is $5 000
a WAU; Rockingham hospital is up over $6 000 a WAU. Its costs are significantly
higher, and it having a much longer length of stay for a particular activity
may explain that.
To answer the member for Kwinana's
question from yesterday—I apologise for missing it yesterday and for what
happened—each of the regions has gone over, to a degree, the cost
allocation for the year, and there are different reasons for that. For the
country health services, for example, we had significant increases in costs
such as bringing in extra specialists to keep numbers in in those remote areas;
also, accommodation was a significant increase in cost. We are working through
those costs, and we will work through with Treasury what those particular costs
are.
Mr
R.H. Cook : So will you provide those details by hospital?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : In other regions there are other reasons for the slight
increases in costs, but overall we landed within, I think, about one per cent
of our budget, which for a $7.5 billion budget —
Mr
M. McGowan : You had staff cuts!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : No, we have had a $300 million increase in funding, which
represents —
Mr
T.R. Buswell : Seven per cent.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : — a seven per cent increase in funding for our
hospitals that caters for increased activity. The same will happen in
Fremantle; we will have to look at Fremantle to see what the staff levels are
if we get increased activity and demand at Rockingham and so on. The whole
evolution of the Reid review is to take into account where the activity is and
move the funding to where it needs to be. I anticipate overall that, no, there
will not be any reduction in total staffing levels by us across the state.
Remember, I think we employ about one-third of the total public sector staff; I
heard the Treasurer say there were 110 000 the other day, and we have 36 000.
It is anticipated that those numbers will continue to go up because the
population is going up, the demand is going up, and we have funded according to
activity. So it is anticipated that the total number of health staff working in
this state will continue to rise, but there will be movements within that. Some
hospitals may have some reductions. I do not know what those are yet—again,
people are working through the budgets they have. My staff, Mr Speaker, tell me
off for talking too shortly, and you are telling me to wind up! If my staff are
listening, I am listening to the Speaker!
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