❓ Mr. Mubarakai questions the Minister for Health on measures to ease pressure on emergency departments, referencing the government's increase in hospital beds. The Minister responds by highlighting government achievements in healthcare and criticising the opposition's approach.
AnsweredQoN 500Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS — REFORM
500. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Minister for Health:
I apologise for the short notice for
this very important and long question. I refer to the Cook Labor government's
delivery of over 700 additional hospital beds since 2021, with a further 550
beds in the pipeline.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house any further measures this government is
implementing to ease pressure on emergency departments?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether she is aware of anyone who does not support
these important measures?
500. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Minister for Health:
I apologise for the short notice for
this very important and long question. I refer to the Cook Labor government's
delivery of over 700 additional hospital beds since 2021, with a further 550
beds in the pipeline.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house any further measures this government is
implementing to ease pressure on emergency departments?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether she is aware of anyone who does not support
these important measures?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Jandakot for the question. It is this Labor government
that has delivered for WA Health. We have
increased our workforce in the public health system by 30 per cent. That is 4 400
more nurses and 1 600 more doctors.
Nurse-to-patient ratios have been implemented in Perth Children's
Hospital and will start to rollout through north metropolitan sites at
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Osborne Park Hospital
and King Edward Memorial Hospital. A record number of elective surgeries have
been performed , median wait times are
down by 30 per cent since the pandemic, and, importantly, next week we will
reach a very important milestone at Peel Health Campus: we are bringing
that hospital back into public hands. We are transforming regional hospitals
with major developments at Peel, Bunbury, Geraldton and around the state. Importantly, we have put on 700 beds in this term of
government alone. To put that into perspective, that is almost the size
of Fiona Stanley Hospital, which is the biggest tertiary hospital in the
country. We have put on 700 beds, with 550 more in the pipeline, and we
continue to deliver in the health portfolio.
We know that the drivers of demand
and ramping are complex. There is no single solution and no single driver. It is a complex confluence of
circumstances. People are sicker coming to our emergency departments .
Aged-care facilities in Western Australia are full. Our transitional care
places are full. Overall, our ambulance
ramping reduction strategy is working. In the last financial year, ramping
reduced by 22 per cent. We are the only state that is going in that
direction. Other states are asking us what we are doing and how we are doing
it.
I met with the president of the
Australasian College for Emergency Medicine earlier this year. He travels the
states and meets with all the ministers and all his members around the country.
He said that no-one is doing what WA is doing in terms of the coordinated
response and reform, and to keep doing what we are doing—listening to
clinicians and delivering genuine reform that addresses the root causes of
ambulance ramping. We know that under the Liberals and Nationals, there would
be no reform. If someone is sick, all roads would lead to the emergency
department. They have no ideas of alternative methods of care. Under this
government, we are delivering more choice. We are delivering better outcomes
for patients and alternatives to the emergency departments, including the new
virtual emergency department, which diverted 300 ambulances in July. It has
exceptionally high regard from the patients and families who use it, who often go straight to a ward or get care
immediately in their home or their residential aged-care facility . We
have seen no ideas or suggestions like that from the opposition. It is a well-regarded
reform that is being used in other states and territories. We know that it
means better care, more beds available to those who need them and more efficient
emergency departments, which will always lead to less ramping. That is because
it is about getting the right care where and when people need it.
We know that the Liberal Party and
the Nationals WA do not understand the health system. They have one response,
and that is to privatise. Their only response to challenges in the health
system is to privatise the services, but we know that that will not address the
challenges.
On top of the 700 beds that we have
delivered in this term, we are opening 75 beds at the Cockburn clinic and we
are opening 80 beds at the Medihotel at Murdoch. That is an important addition
to Fiona Stanley Hospital, in particular, and will provide support for people
who have slightly lower acuity and do not need to be in a tertiary hospital,
and it will be a step down into aged-care facilities. It will be run by the
state government. Those beds will be run by the state government. We know that
the opposition does not like to talk to Canberra; we know that when there are
challenges, it does not have a good track record of working with the federal
government to resolve issues. The former Liberal minister Colin Barnett said, ''I
do not care for Canberra. I do not care for talking to Canberra.''
When
our aged-care beds are full, we have to talk to Canberra. When primary care is
falling over, we have to talk to Canberra. I do not blame anyone and I do
not look for excuses.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : We are
looking at solutions. We are focused on solutions and both the state and
federal governments have the solutions together. We will work with our
colleagues in Canberra.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : We will work
to provide appropriate care.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition! Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : We will work
to provide it to make sure that our parents and our grandparents have aged-care
facilities and have appropriate care when they need it.
thank the member for Jandakot for the question. It is this Labor government
that has delivered for WA Health. We have
increased our workforce in the public health system by 30 per cent. That is 4 400
more nurses and 1 600 more doctors.
Nurse-to-patient ratios have been implemented in Perth Children's
Hospital and will start to rollout through north metropolitan sites at
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Osborne Park Hospital
and King Edward Memorial Hospital. A record number of elective surgeries have
been performed , median wait times are
down by 30 per cent since the pandemic, and, importantly, next week we will
reach a very important milestone at Peel Health Campus: we are bringing
that hospital back into public hands. We are transforming regional hospitals
with major developments at Peel, Bunbury, Geraldton and around the state. Importantly, we have put on 700 beds in this term of
government alone. To put that into perspective, that is almost the size
of Fiona Stanley Hospital, which is the biggest tertiary hospital in the
country. We have put on 700 beds, with 550 more in the pipeline, and we
continue to deliver in the health portfolio.
We know that the drivers of demand
and ramping are complex. There is no single solution and no single driver. It is a complex confluence of
circumstances. People are sicker coming to our emergency departments .
Aged-care facilities in Western Australia are full. Our transitional care
places are full. Overall, our ambulance
ramping reduction strategy is working. In the last financial year, ramping
reduced by 22 per cent. We are the only state that is going in that
direction. Other states are asking us what we are doing and how we are doing
it.
I met with the president of the
Australasian College for Emergency Medicine earlier this year. He travels the
states and meets with all the ministers and all his members around the country.
He said that no-one is doing what WA is doing in terms of the coordinated
response and reform, and to keep doing what we are doing—listening to
clinicians and delivering genuine reform that addresses the root causes of
ambulance ramping. We know that under the Liberals and Nationals, there would
be no reform. If someone is sick, all roads would lead to the emergency
department. They have no ideas of alternative methods of care. Under this
government, we are delivering more choice. We are delivering better outcomes
for patients and alternatives to the emergency departments, including the new
virtual emergency department, which diverted 300 ambulances in July. It has
exceptionally high regard from the patients and families who use it, who often go straight to a ward or get care
immediately in their home or their residential aged-care facility . We
have seen no ideas or suggestions like that from the opposition. It is a well-regarded
reform that is being used in other states and territories. We know that it
means better care, more beds available to those who need them and more efficient
emergency departments, which will always lead to less ramping. That is because
it is about getting the right care where and when people need it.
We know that the Liberal Party and
the Nationals WA do not understand the health system. They have one response,
and that is to privatise. Their only response to challenges in the health
system is to privatise the services, but we know that that will not address the
challenges.
On top of the 700 beds that we have
delivered in this term, we are opening 75 beds at the Cockburn clinic and we
are opening 80 beds at the Medihotel at Murdoch. That is an important addition
to Fiona Stanley Hospital, in particular, and will provide support for people
who have slightly lower acuity and do not need to be in a tertiary hospital,
and it will be a step down into aged-care facilities. It will be run by the
state government. Those beds will be run by the state government. We know that
the opposition does not like to talk to Canberra; we know that when there are
challenges, it does not have a good track record of working with the federal
government to resolve issues. The former Liberal minister Colin Barnett said, ''I
do not care for Canberra. I do not care for talking to Canberra.''
When
our aged-care beds are full, we have to talk to Canberra. When primary care is
falling over, we have to talk to Canberra. I do not blame anyone and I do
not look for excuses.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : We are
looking at solutions. We are focused on solutions and both the state and
federal governments have the solutions together. We will work with our
colleagues in Canberra.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : We will work
to provide appropriate care.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition! Order!
Ms A. SANDERSON : We will work
to provide it to make sure that our parents and our grandparents have aged-care
facilities and have appropriate care when they need it.
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