❓ Libby Mettam questions the Minister for Health about ambulance ramping benchmarks and timelines. The Minister outlines a multifaceted plan to address the complex issue, including increased beds, ED upgrades, and virtual care, but doesn't provide specific benchmarks.
AnsweredQoN 7Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Ambulance ramping
7. Ms Libby Mettam to the Minister for Health :
I also extend my
congratulations to you, Mr Speaker, on your new role and elevation to Speaker
of the house, and to all members of the 42nd Parliament.
I refer to the
ambulance ramping crisis that has almost tripled since 2017 and is crippling
our health system.
(1) What benchmark has the minister set to
successfully address this issue?
(2) When does the minister estimate she will
achieve this outcome?
7. Ms Libby Mettam to the Minister for Health :
I also extend my
congratulations to you, Mr Speaker, on your new role and elevation to Speaker
of the house, and to all members of the 42nd Parliament.
I refer to the
ambulance ramping crisis that has almost tripled since 2017 and is crippling
our health system.
(1) What benchmark has the minister set to
successfully address this issue?
(2) When does the minister estimate she will
achieve this outcome?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the
question. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to talk about this really
important area of policy. Since becoming the Minister for Health, I have spent
time getting briefings on a range of issues, and this has been one that has
been front of mind.
Member, we have a plan that is
about working towards addressing ambulance ramping.
I am very pleased to build on
the work done in this area by the former Minister for Health and, indeed, the
Minister for Health prior to her; of course, that was the now Premier .
Now, member, one of the things
about ambulance ramping that is incredibly important to remember is that the
causes are complex. There is no one, single cause. It is because of a number of
factors. There are things like the rapidly growing population here in Western
Australia. Our ageing population is also having an impact and the fact that
people presenting at emergency departments are often fronting up with more complex
issues, including things like mental health concerns. These factors are not
unique to Western Australia. They are being experienced right around Australia,
and they are having an impact on how our emergency departments respond. Now,
because there is no one, single cause for ramping, our response is one that is
multifaceted. There is no silver bullet here, member, so we are doing a range
of things. Our plan is multifaceted. We are putting on more beds. We have
delivered 800 more beds since 2021, and we have got hundreds more in the
pipeline. We have also, just at this election, announced major upgrades to our
emergency departments at Royal Perth Hospital and also at St John of God Midland
Public Hospital. This will make a significant difference to our capacity in
those EDs.
But we are doing more than just
focusing on hospitals. We are also modernising our health system. We are using
technology to make sure we deliver better care. For example, the WA Virtual
Emergency Department program, which we have recently started, is already
ensuring that hundreds of patients get the care they need in the comfort of
their own home, because it is not always necessary for people to go to an ED to
get the care they need. We are going to go further. Again during the election
campaign, we made a commitment of $36 million more into this system.
We have also stood up the State
Health Operations Centre. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to see
that just recently. We are making sure that we are using technology to run the
health system as a system, making sure that people in ambulances go to the
emergency department most appropriate for their needs. Member, we are
delivering more care in the community; that is another one of our strategies.
We are partnering with the Commonwealth around urgent care clinics. We have a
commitment to deliver older adult health hubs.
Point
of order
The Speaker: A point of order, member
for Kalamunda.
Mr Liam Staltari: It is member for Carine.
The Speaker: Yes. I am sorry.
Mr Liam Staltari: The member for Kalamunda is there.
Mr Speaker, I refer to standing order 78 and relevance. The minister was asked
specifically about the benchmarks to correct these record numbers and I have
not heard a benchmark since.
The Speaker: Thank you, member. I
shall not be upholding that point of order. Carry on, minister.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am
outlining our approach to ramping, and benchmarking and measuring is obviously
an important part of that, but it is important that people understand the
complexity that sits behind it and the multifaceted plan that we have to
address it.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition! Carry on,
minister.
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We have
also invested in aged-care reforms because one of the challenges that our EDs,
and EDs right around Australia, are experiencing is older people spending time
in hospital when hospital is not always the best place for them. Again at this
state election, we had a plan to go further with our aged-care reforms so that
people, if they are older, can access the care they need, which as I said is
not always in a hospital, freeing up a significant number of beds.
Member, we have a plan,
and we have made commitments to go further with that plan. This is an issue
that obviously, as a government, is front of our mind. I am really proud to be
part of a government that is not just working on
implementing this plan for ramping but that has also taken a whole fresh new
approach to how we address issues in the health portfolio. We are going to
continue to build on the good work that we are doing because we know this is an
important issue for Western Australian people.
question. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to talk about this really
important area of policy. Since becoming the Minister for Health, I have spent
time getting briefings on a range of issues, and this has been one that has
been front of mind.
Member, we have a plan that is
about working towards addressing ambulance ramping.
I am very pleased to build on
the work done in this area by the former Minister for Health and, indeed, the
Minister for Health prior to her; of course, that was the now Premier .
Now, member, one of the things
about ambulance ramping that is incredibly important to remember is that the
causes are complex. There is no one, single cause. It is because of a number of
factors. There are things like the rapidly growing population here in Western
Australia. Our ageing population is also having an impact and the fact that
people presenting at emergency departments are often fronting up with more complex
issues, including things like mental health concerns. These factors are not
unique to Western Australia. They are being experienced right around Australia,
and they are having an impact on how our emergency departments respond. Now,
because there is no one, single cause for ramping, our response is one that is
multifaceted. There is no silver bullet here, member, so we are doing a range
of things. Our plan is multifaceted. We are putting on more beds. We have
delivered 800 more beds since 2021, and we have got hundreds more in the
pipeline. We have also, just at this election, announced major upgrades to our
emergency departments at Royal Perth Hospital and also at St John of God Midland
Public Hospital. This will make a significant difference to our capacity in
those EDs.
But we are doing more than just
focusing on hospitals. We are also modernising our health system. We are using
technology to make sure we deliver better care. For example, the WA Virtual
Emergency Department program, which we have recently started, is already
ensuring that hundreds of patients get the care they need in the comfort of
their own home, because it is not always necessary for people to go to an ED to
get the care they need. We are going to go further. Again during the election
campaign, we made a commitment of $36 million more into this system.
We have also stood up the State
Health Operations Centre. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to see
that just recently. We are making sure that we are using technology to run the
health system as a system, making sure that people in ambulances go to the
emergency department most appropriate for their needs. Member, we are
delivering more care in the community; that is another one of our strategies.
We are partnering with the Commonwealth around urgent care clinics. We have a
commitment to deliver older adult health hubs.
Point
of order
The Speaker: A point of order, member
for Kalamunda.
Mr Liam Staltari: It is member for Carine.
The Speaker: Yes. I am sorry.
Mr Liam Staltari: The member for Kalamunda is there.
Mr Speaker, I refer to standing order 78 and relevance. The minister was asked
specifically about the benchmarks to correct these record numbers and I have
not heard a benchmark since.
The Speaker: Thank you, member. I
shall not be upholding that point of order. Carry on, minister.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am
outlining our approach to ramping, and benchmarking and measuring is obviously
an important part of that, but it is important that people understand the
complexity that sits behind it and the multifaceted plan that we have to
address it.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition! Carry on,
minister.
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We have
also invested in aged-care reforms because one of the challenges that our EDs,
and EDs right around Australia, are experiencing is older people spending time
in hospital when hospital is not always the best place for them. Again at this
state election, we had a plan to go further with our aged-care reforms so that
people, if they are older, can access the care they need, which as I said is
not always in a hospital, freeing up a significant number of beds.
Member, we have a plan,
and we have made commitments to go further with that plan. This is an issue
that obviously, as a government, is front of our mind. I am really proud to be
part of a government that is not just working on
implementing this plan for ramping but that has also taken a whole fresh new
approach to how we address issues in the health portfolio. We are going to
continue to build on the good work that we are doing because we know this is an
important issue for Western Australian people.
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