❓ A parliamentary question regarding a code brown declared in metropolitan Perth emergency departments due to winter demand, bed availability at Rockingham Hospital, and staffing levels across major tertiary hospitals. The Minister denies claims of 350 unavailable beds due to lack of staff.
AnsweredQoN 526Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS — CODE BROWN — 15 SEPTEMBER 2010
On behalf of the member for Mandurah, I acknowledge the students from Assumption Catholic Primary School, Mandurah, who are in the public gallery. I refer to the metropolitan-wide code brown that was declared yesterday in response to the crisis in our emergency departments. (1) What planning did the minister undertake in anticipation of the winter demand on our emergency departments? (2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES
On behalf of the member for Mandurah, I acknowledge the students from Assumption Catholic Primary School, Mandurah, who are in the public gallery. I refer to the metropolitan-wide code brown that was declared yesterday in response to the crisis in our emergency departments. (1) What planning did the minister undertake in anticipation of the winter demand on our emergency departments? (2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
I refer to the metropolitan-wide code brown that was declared yesterday in response to the crisis in our emergency departments. (1) What planning did the minister undertake in anticipation of the winter demand on our emergency departments? (2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(1) What planning did the minister undertake in anticipation of the winter demand on our emergency departments? (2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
I refer to the metropolitan-wide code brown that was declared yesterday in response to the crisis in our emergency departments. (1) What planning did the minister undertake in anticipation of the winter demand on our emergency departments? (2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(1) What planning did the minister undertake in anticipation of the winter demand on our emergency departments? (2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(2) Can the minister confirm that beds at Rockingham hospital are still not open despite the critical need for more available beds in our hospital system? (3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(3) Can the minister confirm that more than 350 beds across Perth’s four major tertiary hospitals were not available yesterday because the government has not provided the people necessary to staff them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
I thank the member for the question. (1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
(1)–(3) I will start with the last part, because it is certainly not true that 350 beds were not available across our system because they are not staffed; that is just simply not the case. Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr R.H. Cook : That’s what the clinical services framework states! Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I have just been through the clinical services framework. Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr E.S. Ripper : How many beds are not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Every tertiary hospital bed available is open. Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : How many? The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
The SPEAKER : Member for Rockingham! Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr E.S. Ripper : How many are physically available but not staffed? Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Every one available in our tertiary hospitals is staffed; there is no bed that is not staffed in our tertiary hospitals, except for at Fremantle, because 20 beds there were closed because of health concerns around a virus outbreak that caused gastroenteritis. In fact, I think about 15 cases of elective surgery were cancelled over the last two days at Fremantle Hospital. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Take a seat, Minister for Health. Leader of the Opposition, I have given you a couple of calls. I am formally going to call you to order for the first time today. The Minister for Health has the call. Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : If the opposition wants details of the clinical services framework, what is in it and where the beds are up to, I am more than happy to arrange a briefing for it so that it can fully understand what is and is not there, and what is and is not staffed. I can say to the opposition that every single bed physically available is in operation in our tertiary hospitals, except for the 20 beds that I spoke of in Fremantle. We had a situation in Rockingham, as the member knows because we discussed it last week, whereby we did not get the clearance to be able to open those beds. I am pleased to say that as of the last week and a half, we have had the clearance for stage 1 and 2 for those beds, so we are now in the process of getting those beds up and running. We had staff actually recruited to go in there, but we had to put them off because of fire safety issues at that hospital. That obviously, in itself, caused some problems because we had already started that recruitment process. Now, as of the last week and a half, we have that approval, and we will be going ahead and staffing those hospitals and beds as quickly as we can get staff in there and patients into them. The funds are there; all we have to do is get the staff. Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : It will be two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It will not be two years. Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : You’ve already had two years. Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : We have already started advertising to try to get patients into those hospitals. Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr M. McGowan : I think you’ve got enough patients. Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Not patients—the staff. We are advertising for staff in the oncology unit and the intensive care unit. I went down there a week and a half ago, and since that time we have received the clearance for the ICU, which is a great boost for us because we have a highly qualified specialist to manage that unit. We are working on those things. I have spoken about the hospitals and the beds, and I have already spoken about the fact that we are 500 beds short of what we should have had. I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
I was asked whether the industrial action that is being undertaken by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union was having an effect. I said that I do not know because we have no way of determining exactly what action is being taken by those people who are restricting their services in the emergency departments and whether that would have an effect. However, the director general has spoken to Mr Kelly — Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Mr R.H. Cook : When? Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Sorry, I was looking in the member for Bassendean’s direction! The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
The director general asked Mr Kelly to withdraw that action and to go through the normal negotiation process, because we do not want action that is being taken by the union potentially causing problems in those emergency departments. I do not know whether it is coincidence that the worst day we have ever had is the week that we have industrial action; I have no evidence to say that is the case. However, we do not want that to be the case and I am sure that the union does not either. Therefore, we have had those discussions to see whether we can resolve the matter. If we cannot resolve it by agreement, it can go through arbitration. However, the time has come to get on with it and to try to sort it out.
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