❓ Mr L'Estrange questions the Minister for Health about staffing shortages in emergency departments, citing concerns from a senior doctor. The Minister rejects the concerns, highlighting positive performance indicators and outlining government initiatives to address demand.
AnsweredQoN 102Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOSPITALS —
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS — STAFFING
102. Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE to the Minister for Health:
I
refer the minister to warnings by the director of emergency medicine at Sir
Charles Gairdner Hospital, Dr Peter Allely, regarding staffing shortages
—
''As winter
approaches there will be more avoidable deaths in our department in the coming
months unless changes are made,'' �
Does the minister accept the
warnings of this highly qualified physician; and, if not, why not?
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS — STAFFING
102. Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE to the Minister for Health:
I
refer the minister to warnings by the director of emergency medicine at Sir
Charles Gairdner Hospital, Dr Peter Allely, regarding staffing shortages
—
''As winter
approaches there will be more avoidable deaths in our department in the coming
months unless changes are made,'' �
Does the minister accept the
warnings of this highly qualified physician; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
The point to be made is that, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the
health service providers to make sure that they have the configuration of staff
that meets the needs of their hospitals. This is not the responsibility of the
Minister for Health. I do not strut up and down the corridors of the wards
counting the numbers of nurses, doctors and allied health staff to ensure that
they are there. This is the reason we have the health service providers, and
the reason we have such a strong system. This is the reason the emergency
departments in Western Australia were found by the Productivity Commission to
be the best in the country. In addition to that —
Dr M.D. Nahan : On our watch.
Mr R.H. COOK : No, Leader of
the Opposition, under our watch.
The Productivity Commission also found that our emergency
departments were the only emergency departments, in the last 12 months of the
Leader of the Opposition's hapless and useless leadership of the other
side, to have actually improved in the past 12 months. I completely reject the
impugned accusation from the member for Churchlands. Our emergency departments
are working extremely well.
It is true that, since 2008, which
is the period in which the doctor in this particular instance has made his
observations—that is, eight and a half years of the time the previous
government was in office—there has been an increase in demand on our
emergency departments. That is true, and as a result of that, when we came to power
in 2017 we had a plan for how we were going to reduce the demand in our EDs.
This stands in stark contrast to the claims by my very good friend Hon Kim
Hames, when he said, after questioning from me about ambulance ramping and
things of that nature, ''I give up.'' That was the Liberal Party's
approach to ED congestion—''I give up.'' We are putting
in place a range of mechanisms to improve the situation. We are putting in
urgent care clinic toxicology units at Royal Perth Hospital, a mental health
observation area at RPH, and a mental health emergency centre at Midland Public
Hospital. We are implementing urgent care clinics to take the pressure off our
EDs. We have a plan, and that is one of the reasons our EDs are the best in the
country.
I do not doubt that it is tough and
hard working in our emergency departments. The doctors and nurses working on
the front line do a great job, but there has not been any reduction in
clinicians in the EDs, commensurate with the
increase in demand. The staff-to-patient ratios have remained the same as they
always have been, and as they have always been in other health service
providers, the South Metropolitan Health Service and the East Metropolitan Health Service. We will continue to work with those staff to make sure that
they are supported. I reject the idea that somehow we are facing some sort of
crisis. Quite frankly, I understand why the opposition is onto this issue—because
it has nothing else.
The point to be made is that, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the
health service providers to make sure that they have the configuration of staff
that meets the needs of their hospitals. This is not the responsibility of the
Minister for Health. I do not strut up and down the corridors of the wards
counting the numbers of nurses, doctors and allied health staff to ensure that
they are there. This is the reason we have the health service providers, and
the reason we have such a strong system. This is the reason the emergency
departments in Western Australia were found by the Productivity Commission to
be the best in the country. In addition to that —
Dr M.D. Nahan : On our watch.
Mr R.H. COOK : No, Leader of
the Opposition, under our watch.
The Productivity Commission also found that our emergency
departments were the only emergency departments, in the last 12 months of the
Leader of the Opposition's hapless and useless leadership of the other
side, to have actually improved in the past 12 months. I completely reject the
impugned accusation from the member for Churchlands. Our emergency departments
are working extremely well.
It is true that, since 2008, which
is the period in which the doctor in this particular instance has made his
observations—that is, eight and a half years of the time the previous
government was in office—there has been an increase in demand on our
emergency departments. That is true, and as a result of that, when we came to power
in 2017 we had a plan for how we were going to reduce the demand in our EDs.
This stands in stark contrast to the claims by my very good friend Hon Kim
Hames, when he said, after questioning from me about ambulance ramping and
things of that nature, ''I give up.'' That was the Liberal Party's
approach to ED congestion—''I give up.'' We are putting
in place a range of mechanisms to improve the situation. We are putting in
urgent care clinic toxicology units at Royal Perth Hospital, a mental health
observation area at RPH, and a mental health emergency centre at Midland Public
Hospital. We are implementing urgent care clinics to take the pressure off our
EDs. We have a plan, and that is one of the reasons our EDs are the best in the
country.
I do not doubt that it is tough and
hard working in our emergency departments. The doctors and nurses working on
the front line do a great job, but there has not been any reduction in
clinicians in the EDs, commensurate with the
increase in demand. The staff-to-patient ratios have remained the same as they
always have been, and as they have always been in other health service
providers, the South Metropolitan Health Service and the East Metropolitan Health Service. We will continue to work with those staff to make sure that
they are supported. I reject the idea that somehow we are facing some sort of
crisis. Quite frankly, I understand why the opposition is onto this issue—because
it has nothing else.
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