❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health regarding potential forced redundancies within the Department of Health, service cuts, and the impact on emergency departments, elective surgery waiting times, and mental health services. The Minister denies forced redundancies, citing a voluntary severance scheme and the need for a sustainable health system.
AnsweredQoN 251Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH — REDUNDANCIES
251. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to the
former Minister for Health's promise of no forced redundancies in the
Department of Health.
(1) Of the over
700 people the department will sack, including 359 in Fiona Stanley Hospital
alone, how many will be forced from their jobs through compulsory redundancy?
(2) Which
services will the department be cutting, and from which hospitals will they be
cut to meet the minister's budget goals?
(3) Is the Australian
Medical Association right when it says that these cuts mean nothing less than
reduced funding for emergency departments, longer waiting times for elective
surgery and further chaos in the mental health sector?
251. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to the
former Minister for Health's promise of no forced redundancies in the
Department of Health.
(1) Of the over
700 people the department will sack, including 359 in Fiona Stanley Hospital
alone, how many will be forced from their jobs through compulsory redundancy?
(2) Which
services will the department be cutting, and from which hospitals will they be
cut to meet the minister's budget goals?
(3) Is the Australian
Medical Association right when it says that these cuts mean nothing less than
reduced funding for emergency departments, longer waiting times for elective
surgery and further chaos in the mental health sector?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) The
answer to all of those questions, from the best I have interpreted the
questions that were read out by the member for Kwinana, is no. No-one is being
forced from their position. It is a voluntary severance scheme that is
underway. More positions exist, in particular in the South Metropolitan Health
Service, at the moment than is regarded as necessary. The number has been
inflated because of the commissioning of Fiona Stanley Hospital and the
substantial transfer and transition underway as a result of Fiona Stanley
Hospital opening. The health system needs to operate in a sustainable manner in
Western Australia. As has been reported recently, the proportion of the state
budget that is now consumed by the health system is almost 30 per cent and we
are about 18 per cent above the average cost per unit price in relation to
other states of Australia. The health system needs to make some changes to
operate in a sustainable manner, but we are continuing to provide services in a
world-class manner. I have seen many examples of that in the few weeks that I have
been Minister for Health and, indeed, I have received quite a number of
compliments from patients who have been very appreciative of the care that they
have been provided and the standard of it.
To summarise, no-one is being forced
from their job, but there is a need to make some changes to operate in a sustainable
manner and to ensure that there are not surplus positions to what is actually
required to provide world-class services.
answer to all of those questions, from the best I have interpreted the
questions that were read out by the member for Kwinana, is no. No-one is being
forced from their position. It is a voluntary severance scheme that is
underway. More positions exist, in particular in the South Metropolitan Health
Service, at the moment than is regarded as necessary. The number has been
inflated because of the commissioning of Fiona Stanley Hospital and the
substantial transfer and transition underway as a result of Fiona Stanley
Hospital opening. The health system needs to operate in a sustainable manner in
Western Australia. As has been reported recently, the proportion of the state
budget that is now consumed by the health system is almost 30 per cent and we
are about 18 per cent above the average cost per unit price in relation to
other states of Australia. The health system needs to make some changes to
operate in a sustainable manner, but we are continuing to provide services in a
world-class manner. I have seen many examples of that in the few weeks that I have
been Minister for Health and, indeed, I have received quite a number of
compliments from patients who have been very appreciative of the care that they
have been provided and the standard of it.
To summarise, no-one is being forced
from their job, but there is a need to make some changes to operate in a sustainable
manner and to ensure that there are not surplus positions to what is actually
required to provide world-class services.
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