❓ The Minister for Health provides an update on the new women's and babies' hospital in Murdoch, the expansion of maternity services at Osborne Park and Perth Children's Hospitals, and criticises the opposition's alternative plans. The Minister highlights the opening of expressions of interest for the managing contractor and the benefits of the integrated plan.
AnsweredQoN 40Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOMEN'S AND BABIES' HOSPITAL
40. Mrs M.R. MARSHALL to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to delivering exceptional health care for women and babies across Western
Australia.
(1) Can the minister update the house on this
government's delivery of the new women's and babies'
hospital in Murdoch, as well as expanded maternity and neonatology
services at the Osborne Park and Perth Children's Hospitals?
(2) Can the
minister please inform the house how these projects will deliver safe
patient-centred maternity care for the women of Western Australia?
40. Mrs M.R. MARSHALL to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to delivering exceptional health care for women and babies across Western
Australia.
(1) Can the minister update the house on this
government's delivery of the new women's and babies'
hospital in Murdoch, as well as expanded maternity and neonatology
services at the Osborne Park and Perth Children's Hospitals?
(2) Can the
minister please inform the house how these projects will deliver safe
patient-centred maternity care for the women of Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Rockingham
for her question.
(1)–(2) This
morning, as the Premier has briefly touched on, we were at Bentley Hospital to
announce the first credentialed endorsed midwife to be employed in the public
system and a team of credentialed endorsed midwives who will be leading a genuine
continuity-of-care model out of Bentley Hospital, which is a fantastic
development for the public system and something that many people in this
chamber are very passionate about. That is a great development.
With that, today I also announced
that we are opening expressions of interest for the managing contractor to
build the new women's and newborns' hospital. The managing
contractor will take in three of the major projects, not just the brand new
tertiary hospital at Murdoch. The managing contractor will also be responsible for the Osborne Park Hospital facility
expansion, including a brand new family birthing centre , and the
increase in the number of neonate cots at Perth Children's Hospital,
because this is an integrated plan. We need to make sure that it is integrated
and that those services come online and are sequenced at exactly the right time
to ensure they have an incredibly smooth transition. As we know, King Edward
Memorial Hospital has well and truly passed its use-by date, and it is getting
harder and harder for the incredible staff there to provide safe, modern care
for the women and neonates of Western Australia. We know that we cannot wait 20
years to fully transition from that site.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Ms A. SANDERSON : We know that
women with cancer cannot continue to have to work with their oncologists to
negotiate their way into the various cancer sites for gynaecological cancers in
Western Australia. They deserve an excellence of oncology for gynaecological
cancers in Western Australia. We know that they cannot continue to wait. That
is why we are getting on with opening these expressions of interest and getting
a managing contractor in place early so we can work with them and use their
expertise about design, engineering and sequencing of the project. It will
limit duplication and make the process more seamless as we move into the
construction phase. It will also be incredibly integral, as we move forward,
with the consultation of users of the hospitals, both clinicians and women.
We also know that the difference
here is that the Liberal Party will scrap that plan. It will scrap that plan.
It will scrap a new family birthing centre
at Osborne Park Hospital. It will scrap a new tertiary hospital at the Murdoch
site . We note that they cannot build safely on top of Charlie's
without creating decades of chaos and confusion, without scaling back services
and without relocating services.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : It
highlights the risk and recklessness of the Liberal and National Parties. They
cannot be trusted to make the right decisions for Western Australians.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, please stop interjecting.
Ms A. SANDERSON : They would
rather risk decades of disruption to two major tertiary hospitals for children and adults than make the right decision for Western
Australians, which is what this government has done in relocating that
hospital to Murdoch and Osborne Park.
for her question.
(1)–(2) This
morning, as the Premier has briefly touched on, we were at Bentley Hospital to
announce the first credentialed endorsed midwife to be employed in the public
system and a team of credentialed endorsed midwives who will be leading a genuine
continuity-of-care model out of Bentley Hospital, which is a fantastic
development for the public system and something that many people in this
chamber are very passionate about. That is a great development.
With that, today I also announced
that we are opening expressions of interest for the managing contractor to
build the new women's and newborns' hospital. The managing
contractor will take in three of the major projects, not just the brand new
tertiary hospital at Murdoch. The managing contractor will also be responsible for the Osborne Park Hospital facility
expansion, including a brand new family birthing centre , and the
increase in the number of neonate cots at Perth Children's Hospital,
because this is an integrated plan. We need to make sure that it is integrated
and that those services come online and are sequenced at exactly the right time
to ensure they have an incredibly smooth transition. As we know, King Edward
Memorial Hospital has well and truly passed its use-by date, and it is getting
harder and harder for the incredible staff there to provide safe, modern care
for the women and neonates of Western Australia. We know that we cannot wait 20
years to fully transition from that site.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Ms A. SANDERSON : We know that
women with cancer cannot continue to have to work with their oncologists to
negotiate their way into the various cancer sites for gynaecological cancers in
Western Australia. They deserve an excellence of oncology for gynaecological
cancers in Western Australia. We know that they cannot continue to wait. That
is why we are getting on with opening these expressions of interest and getting
a managing contractor in place early so we can work with them and use their
expertise about design, engineering and sequencing of the project. It will
limit duplication and make the process more seamless as we move into the
construction phase. It will also be incredibly integral, as we move forward,
with the consultation of users of the hospitals, both clinicians and women.
We also know that the difference
here is that the Liberal Party will scrap that plan. It will scrap that plan.
It will scrap a new family birthing centre
at Osborne Park Hospital. It will scrap a new tertiary hospital at the Murdoch
site . We note that they cannot build safely on top of Charlie's
without creating decades of chaos and confusion, without scaling back services
and without relocating services.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : It
highlights the risk and recklessness of the Liberal and National Parties. They
cannot be trusted to make the right decisions for Western Australians.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, please stop interjecting.
Ms A. SANDERSON : They would
rather risk decades of disruption to two major tertiary hospitals for children and adults than make the right decision for Western
Australians, which is what this government has done in relocating that
hospital to Murdoch and Osborne Park.
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