❓ Question regarding increased pressure on WA emergency departments despite being the best performing in the country, and the measures being implemented to support them. The Minister outlines initiatives including audits, mental health support, and ED expansions.
AnsweredQoN 208Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOSPITALS —
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS
208. Mr D.R. MICHAEL to the Minister for Health:
I refer to Western Australia's
emergency departments that, despite being the best performing in the country,
are currently facing increased pressures. Can the minister advise the house
what measures are being implemented to support our EDs in managing this
pressure and outline what further steps will be taken?
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS
208. Mr D.R. MICHAEL to the Minister for Health:
I refer to Western Australia's
emergency departments that, despite being the best performing in the country,
are currently facing increased pressures. Can the minister advise the house
what measures are being implemented to support our EDs in managing this
pressure and outline what further steps will be taken?
AnswerView source ↗
I would like to thank the member for
the question. He is quite correct; hospitals across Australia are experiencing
higher-than-usual demand on emergency departments. In fact, Queensland put out
a cry for help last week and asked patients not to present to EDs unless they
absolutely had to. We are not in that position, because in Western Australia
our EDs continue to perform at the peak of all Australia's emergency
departments. In Western Australia, overall attendances for the first eight
months of this financial year, 2018–19, were 1.5 per cent higher than
for the same period in 2017–18 and 4.9 per cent higher than in 2016–17.
So the demand on emergency departments
continues to grow. In fact, in the first few months of this year, we have seen
an increase of 1.2 per cent , or 1 500 extra patients present to our EDs.
In stark contrast to that, we have
had a six per cent increase—March to March, or year on date—in
the number of ambulance attendances to our emergency departments. That has
produced this miscorrelation of higher than usual ambulance ramping numbers,
while at the same time our off-stretcher rates are still performing fairly well—over
50 per cent over the last week—and with our emergency access targets,
or the four-hour rule, we continue to perform to the same high levels that have
put us at the front of the pack nationally over the last 12 months. We have
decided to undertake an audit to get a better understanding of how ambulance
ramping relates to the business activity of an emergency department and why
some are performing well while some are continuing to struggle. While we have
these high ambulance ramping rates, we still have exceptional performance by
the doctors, nurses and allied health staff working in our EDs. The audit of ED
ramping, which will take place over the next few weeks, will give us that line
of sight. In addition to that, we will undertake a range of other initiatives
to put downward pressure on the level of demand in our EDs. That includes
implementing the assertive patient flow or mental health patient flow
initiative, which is about making sure that we get our mental health patients
out of the EDs fast enough and into a hospital bed. We are implementing mental
health observation areas; an eight-bed facility is being introduced at Royal
Perth Hospital. In addition, we are implementing a mental health emergency
centre at Midland Public Hospital—a four-bed, two-chair facility—which
we are in the process of developing a plan for. We understand that we
ultimately have to expand EDs, which is why we have plans to develop the
Joondalup Health Campus and Geraldton Health Campus emergency departments. Of
course, we recently announced funding to expand the emergency department at
Peel Health Campus.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : I know you have
a crowd here today, member for Dawesville, but I still call you to order for
the first time.
Mr R.H. COOK : I am always indebted to the member for
Dawesville for pointing out what we are doing at the Peel hospital, which his
government failed to do.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.H. COOK : I am not sure
what dopey strategy is driving —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Has everyone
finished their little chats? Minister, you have the floor.
Mr R.H. COOK : I am not sure
what dopey strategy is driving the member for Dawesville, but we are indebted
to him for raising this issue time and again.
We also know that around 25 per cent
of patients who attend our EDs could be treated in a general practitioner
environment. It is unfortunate that people see EDs as the only option for them,
because often their GP clinic is too expensive for them to access. All I can
say is thank goodness the Shorten Labor team has committed to unfreezing the
Medicare rebate, so that people once again will be able to afford to go to
their GPs to get the help they need, when they need it, in their local
communities.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.H. COOK : We are
continuing to fund our EDs at a higher rate than ever before.
Mr I.C. Blayney interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Geraldton!
Mr R.H. COOK : There is a three
per cent increase in hospital funding this year, or an extra $158 million. We
will not give up on our emergency
departments like the previous government did. We have policies, actions and
resources . We will stand by the doctors, nurses and allied health staff
working in our EDs who do such an outstanding job.
the question. He is quite correct; hospitals across Australia are experiencing
higher-than-usual demand on emergency departments. In fact, Queensland put out
a cry for help last week and asked patients not to present to EDs unless they
absolutely had to. We are not in that position, because in Western Australia
our EDs continue to perform at the peak of all Australia's emergency
departments. In Western Australia, overall attendances for the first eight
months of this financial year, 2018–19, were 1.5 per cent higher than
for the same period in 2017–18 and 4.9 per cent higher than in 2016–17.
So the demand on emergency departments
continues to grow. In fact, in the first few months of this year, we have seen
an increase of 1.2 per cent , or 1 500 extra patients present to our EDs.
In stark contrast to that, we have
had a six per cent increase—March to March, or year on date—in
the number of ambulance attendances to our emergency departments. That has
produced this miscorrelation of higher than usual ambulance ramping numbers,
while at the same time our off-stretcher rates are still performing fairly well—over
50 per cent over the last week—and with our emergency access targets,
or the four-hour rule, we continue to perform to the same high levels that have
put us at the front of the pack nationally over the last 12 months. We have
decided to undertake an audit to get a better understanding of how ambulance
ramping relates to the business activity of an emergency department and why
some are performing well while some are continuing to struggle. While we have
these high ambulance ramping rates, we still have exceptional performance by
the doctors, nurses and allied health staff working in our EDs. The audit of ED
ramping, which will take place over the next few weeks, will give us that line
of sight. In addition to that, we will undertake a range of other initiatives
to put downward pressure on the level of demand in our EDs. That includes
implementing the assertive patient flow or mental health patient flow
initiative, which is about making sure that we get our mental health patients
out of the EDs fast enough and into a hospital bed. We are implementing mental
health observation areas; an eight-bed facility is being introduced at Royal
Perth Hospital. In addition, we are implementing a mental health emergency
centre at Midland Public Hospital—a four-bed, two-chair facility—which
we are in the process of developing a plan for. We understand that we
ultimately have to expand EDs, which is why we have plans to develop the
Joondalup Health Campus and Geraldton Health Campus emergency departments. Of
course, we recently announced funding to expand the emergency department at
Peel Health Campus.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : I know you have
a crowd here today, member for Dawesville, but I still call you to order for
the first time.
Mr R.H. COOK : I am always indebted to the member for
Dawesville for pointing out what we are doing at the Peel hospital, which his
government failed to do.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.H. COOK : I am not sure
what dopey strategy is driving —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Has everyone
finished their little chats? Minister, you have the floor.
Mr R.H. COOK : I am not sure
what dopey strategy is driving the member for Dawesville, but we are indebted
to him for raising this issue time and again.
We also know that around 25 per cent
of patients who attend our EDs could be treated in a general practitioner
environment. It is unfortunate that people see EDs as the only option for them,
because often their GP clinic is too expensive for them to access. All I can
say is thank goodness the Shorten Labor team has committed to unfreezing the
Medicare rebate, so that people once again will be able to afford to go to
their GPs to get the help they need, when they need it, in their local
communities.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.H. COOK : We are
continuing to fund our EDs at a higher rate than ever before.
Mr I.C. Blayney interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Geraldton!
Mr R.H. COOK : There is a three
per cent increase in hospital funding this year, or an extra $158 million. We
will not give up on our emergency
departments like the previous government did. We have policies, actions and
resources . We will stand by the doctors, nurses and allied health staff
working in our EDs who do such an outstanding job.
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