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❓ Hon Stephen Dawson requests data on mental health patients waiting in emergency departments for extended periods and details of administrative changes affecting admittance recording, aiming to understand the extent of bed shortages and potential impacts on patient care.

AnsweredQoN 2604Legislative Council

Asked

18 February 2015

Member

Hon Stephen Dawson

Portfolio

Mental Health

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to Supplementary Information C10 provided to the Estimates and Financial Operations Committee on 10 June 2011 found at http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/commit.nsf/(Evidence+Lookup+by+Com+ID)/CF30D98E4E1061CC482578B1001BE1FC/$file/ef.ehw12.110615.003.aqton.MHC.pdf , which shows information on mental health patients held in emergency departments for more than 24 hours from 1 June 2010 to 31 May 2011, and ask: (a) can the Minister please provide the same data for the following periods: (i) 2010-2011; (ii) 2011-2012; (iii) 2012-2013; (iv) 2013-2014; and (v) 1 July 2014 to date; (b) can the Minister please detail all administrative changes, including the date of any changes, that affect directly or in directly how admittance to emergency is recorded during the above periods; (c) are patients ever admitted to a hospital facility and held in emergency while waiting for a mental health bed; and (d) if yes to (c), in how many instances for the following periods were patients admitted to a hospital emergency while waiting on a mental health bed for the following periods: (i) 2010-2011; (ii) 2011-2012; (iii) 2012-2013; (iv) 2013-2014; and (v) 1 July 2014 to date?