❓ Opposition questions Health Minister about alleged cuts to Fiona Stanley Hospital, citing concerns raised by a hospital director. Minister denies cuts are impacting service quality, defends budget management, and accuses the opposition of misrepresenting the situation.
AnsweredQoN 1029Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH — STAFFING — FIONA STANLEY HOSPITAL — PAUL
MARK'S COMMENTS
1029. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
I refer to comments by Fiona Stanley Hospital acting
executive director Dr Paul Mark that this hospital will deliver only a silver
level of service as a result of the minister's harsh cuts to hospital
resources.
(1) Does the
minister agree with a doctor's comments that these cuts will ''introduce
a sense of complacency and will result in an increase in severe clinical
incidents''?
(2) Is it not time
that the minister provided some leadership and provided confidence in the
clinical workforce by being honest with the public about the extent of cuts to
hospital staff?
OF HEALTH — STAFFING — FIONA STANLEY HOSPITAL — PAUL
MARK'S COMMENTS
1029. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
I refer to comments by Fiona Stanley Hospital acting
executive director Dr Paul Mark that this hospital will deliver only a silver
level of service as a result of the minister's harsh cuts to hospital
resources.
(1) Does the
minister agree with a doctor's comments that these cuts will ''introduce
a sense of complacency and will result in an increase in severe clinical
incidents''?
(2) Is it not time
that the minister provided some leadership and provided confidence in the
clinical workforce by being honest with the public about the extent of cuts to
hospital staff?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
Clearly, that question was written before I answered the first question and the
Deputy Leader of the Opposition decided to leave it there, which is a nonsense
when an answer has already been heard. That was an unfortunate comment. We have
had words already about that.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana!
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That is not an accurate reflection of what is happening in those hospitals. We
are providing a first-class service at all our hospitals, particularly at Fiona
Stanley Hospital. But the reality is that they are over the budget they have
been allocated and they have to get back to that. We as a state cannot afford
for hospitals to spend well in excess of their allocation, which is allocated
recognising that they have an increase in demand, and still they spend well
over that. We cannot afford it. Since we have been in government, we have gone
from a budget of $4.5 billion a year to over $8 billion now. We have gone from
24.5 per cent of the total state government spend to over 28 per cent of total
state government spend now. We cannot afford our spending to keep going up
without the activity going up. If the activity had grown enormously, I could
understand the budget growing enormously as well, but it has not. The activity
has grown moderately; the budget is above that and they are still not bringing
home the activity.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : In
the south metropolitan area and in other areas, we have sat down and spoken —
Mr R.H. Cook : How
could you have done it so badly?
Dr K.D. HAMES : We
have not. Our staff have done an amazing job. I am amazed that the member is
criticising them.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is absolutely not true that someone is doing a shocking job.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The reality is that the reconfiguration of our hospitals has
been an enormous task. In doing that—if we look at Fiona Stanley
Hospital in particular—there was a requirement to increase staff during
that transition period. We had to move in lots of additional staff to cope with
the transfer of patients and systems from all those other hospitals. The member
would have been extremely critical if we had not done that and things had gone
wrong. They have not gone wrong. The time has now come for those numbers to
settle back to the activity levels that they have got. That is what the
clinicians are being told and that is what they need to do. Each one of them is
responsible for their own budget. Some are above, some are exactly on target,
and some are below and, in fact, can have more full-time equivalents if they
need them for the demand they have. But some are significantly above the budget
they have for the activity they have that matches safe procedures in other
states in Australia. Those heads of department are expected to maintain that
standard of service at the same cost as in every other state of Australia. I do
not think that is an unreasonable thing to ask doctors to do when it is
taxpayers' dollars that they are spending.
Clearly, that question was written before I answered the first question and the
Deputy Leader of the Opposition decided to leave it there, which is a nonsense
when an answer has already been heard. That was an unfortunate comment. We have
had words already about that.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana!
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That is not an accurate reflection of what is happening in those hospitals. We
are providing a first-class service at all our hospitals, particularly at Fiona
Stanley Hospital. But the reality is that they are over the budget they have
been allocated and they have to get back to that. We as a state cannot afford
for hospitals to spend well in excess of their allocation, which is allocated
recognising that they have an increase in demand, and still they spend well
over that. We cannot afford it. Since we have been in government, we have gone
from a budget of $4.5 billion a year to over $8 billion now. We have gone from
24.5 per cent of the total state government spend to over 28 per cent of total
state government spend now. We cannot afford our spending to keep going up
without the activity going up. If the activity had grown enormously, I could
understand the budget growing enormously as well, but it has not. The activity
has grown moderately; the budget is above that and they are still not bringing
home the activity.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : In
the south metropolitan area and in other areas, we have sat down and spoken —
Mr R.H. Cook : How
could you have done it so badly?
Dr K.D. HAMES : We
have not. Our staff have done an amazing job. I am amazed that the member is
criticising them.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is absolutely not true that someone is doing a shocking job.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The reality is that the reconfiguration of our hospitals has
been an enormous task. In doing that—if we look at Fiona Stanley
Hospital in particular—there was a requirement to increase staff during
that transition period. We had to move in lots of additional staff to cope with
the transfer of patients and systems from all those other hospitals. The member
would have been extremely critical if we had not done that and things had gone
wrong. They have not gone wrong. The time has now come for those numbers to
settle back to the activity levels that they have got. That is what the
clinicians are being told and that is what they need to do. Each one of them is
responsible for their own budget. Some are above, some are exactly on target,
and some are below and, in fact, can have more full-time equivalents if they
need them for the demand they have. But some are significantly above the budget
they have for the activity they have that matches safe procedures in other
states in Australia. Those heads of department are expected to maintain that
standard of service at the same cost as in every other state of Australia. I do
not think that is an unreasonable thing to ask doctors to do when it is
taxpayers' dollars that they are spending.
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