❓ Mr. McGowan questions the Minister for Health about potential job losses at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and other WA hospitals. The Minister acknowledges a review process is underway to address staffing imbalances and resource allocation.
AnsweredQoN 589Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SIR CHARLES GAIRDNER HOSPITAL — AUSTRALIAN
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
589. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. I repeat my earlier
question: how many jobs will be lost from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and
which other hospitals within the Western Australian health service will suffer
from job cuts or reductions?
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
589. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. I repeat my earlier
question: how many jobs will be lost from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and
which other hospitals within the Western Australian health service will suffer
from job cuts or reductions?
AnswerView source ↗
I cannot tell. I know the member
listens to the radio because he made comments about my ability to be able to
say what will happen. It has not been decided. This process started just a
couple of weeks ago when all the senior people in the hospital were briefed,
hence the leak and hence the Leader of the Opposition suddenly getting on to
what he thinks is an issue. The reality is that Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
is just starting to go through the process of working out what those numbers
will be. We do not know that it will be 200; it may be less than 200. That has
not yet been decided.
Mr
M. McGowan : It might be more.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I am fairly confident that it will not be more, and the figure
of 500 is wrong. The department has to work through that with the funding.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I will do that; I forgot to do that before.
I will give an example of the number
of patients presenting at the ED of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital during the nine
to 10 months from January to September. Remember, that is not the same as
weighted activity. Anyone who knows will understand the difference. Just on raw
numbers presenting, over the January to September period Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital had 367 additional patients coming through the door compared with the
previous year, and Royal Perth Hospital had 2 174 additional patients. During
that same period, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital employed an additional 169 nurses
and 80 doctors compared with Royal Perth Hospital, which employed an extra 112 nurses
and four doctors to manage its staff. There was a 7.6 per cent surge in
employment at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, with only 2.5 per cent growth in
numbers. Employment surged beyond the needs of the hospital to service the
number of patients it had. It cannot do that. It has to get it back to the same
patient–staff ratio it had before; otherwise, our system falls apart.
The good Treasurer grew our budget for hospitals by seven per cent, but the
majority of that funding has to go where it is needed, which is Joondalup and
other hospitals that have had surges in activities.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time. Members for
Kwinana and Girrawheen, I call you to order for the first time.
listens to the radio because he made comments about my ability to be able to
say what will happen. It has not been decided. This process started just a
couple of weeks ago when all the senior people in the hospital were briefed,
hence the leak and hence the Leader of the Opposition suddenly getting on to
what he thinks is an issue. The reality is that Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
is just starting to go through the process of working out what those numbers
will be. We do not know that it will be 200; it may be less than 200. That has
not yet been decided.
Mr
M. McGowan : It might be more.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I am fairly confident that it will not be more, and the figure
of 500 is wrong. The department has to work through that with the funding.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I will do that; I forgot to do that before.
I will give an example of the number
of patients presenting at the ED of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital during the nine
to 10 months from January to September. Remember, that is not the same as
weighted activity. Anyone who knows will understand the difference. Just on raw
numbers presenting, over the January to September period Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital had 367 additional patients coming through the door compared with the
previous year, and Royal Perth Hospital had 2 174 additional patients. During
that same period, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital employed an additional 169 nurses
and 80 doctors compared with Royal Perth Hospital, which employed an extra 112 nurses
and four doctors to manage its staff. There was a 7.6 per cent surge in
employment at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, with only 2.5 per cent growth in
numbers. Employment surged beyond the needs of the hospital to service the
number of patients it had. It cannot do that. It has to get it back to the same
patient–staff ratio it had before; otherwise, our system falls apart.
The good Treasurer grew our budget for hospitals by seven per cent, but the
majority of that funding has to go where it is needed, which is Joondalup and
other hospitals that have had surges in activities.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time. Members for
Kwinana and Girrawheen, I call you to order for the first time.
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