❓ Dr. Honey questions the Minister for Health about increased wait times for children's category 1 surgery, citing staff shortages and ageing equipment. The Minister defends the government's record spending and attributes the issues to private sector limitations and NDIS pressures.
AnsweredQoN 721Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTIVE SURGERY — CHILDREN —
CATEGORY 1 PATIENTS
721. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the appalling statistics contained in the 2022–23
Child and Adolescent Health Service's annual report that highlighted that the number of children
waiting beyond the recommended time for category 1 surgery, the most serious surgery, had more than doubled in the past
12 months, alongside poor performance in other surgery categories . Given
that the report also highlighted that ageing equipment and staff shortages were
major contributing issues, why will the minister not prioritise proper funding
to address these concerns?
CATEGORY 1 PATIENTS
721. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the appalling statistics contained in the 2022–23
Child and Adolescent Health Service's annual report that highlighted that the number of children
waiting beyond the recommended time for category 1 surgery, the most serious surgery, had more than doubled in the past
12 months, alongside poor performance in other surgery categories . Given
that the report also highlighted that ageing equipment and staff shortages were
major contributing issues, why will the minister not prioritise proper funding
to address these concerns?
AnswerView source ↗
There is no evidence that I have not prioritised funding in
our health service given the record increase in spend, and that is across all
the health service providers. There has been a record increase in spending in
our health service, including the significant increase in staffing across the
system, the significant uplift in staffing at Perth Children's Hospital
in particular, and the implementation of ratios in the emergency department.
There is pressure on elective surgery. There
is no question of that. We are looking at many, many innovative ways to manage
some of the specialty elective requirements in particular. The member
will note that some private sector paediatric surgery centres are closing down
some of their services because of the difficulty in finding specialists to deliver
the services. When that happens, they come to the public system. That is what
happens when those services are limited. That is what is occurring. When they
are limiting ear, nose and throat services, they come to the public system. I can
assure the Parliament and the community that
we are pulling every lever to ensure that kids get access to the earliest
intervention possible, but there is also a specialty crisis here with
paediatric specialists and ENT specialists in particular. Many specialists opt to work in the private sector, and
I would like to see many of them do more work in the public sector.
Dr D.J. Honey : You've
been in power for seven years.
Ms
A. SANDERSON : Many of them do see
our kids, but people have to have private health insurance. That might be
the case for the community that the member represents, but it is not the case
for the broader community. There is a great public service in being paid very
well in the public system and in delivering care for our most vulnerable
people.
Dr D.J. Honey : So why aren't
you attracting them?
Ms
A. SANDERSON : There is pressure
on services and there is pressure on Child Development Services. In some respects, the National Disability Insurance
Scheme has created enormous pressure on those services to get diagnoses and treatment plans with the NDIS. It is something that I know my colleague the
Minister for Disability Services talks regularly about at the national forum. I
know it is something that the national disability minister is acutely aware of.
It has created a tsunami of referrals into the CDS system. There have been
significant uplifts. There have been blitzes through those waitlists. There
have been increased resources. Every time there is a blitz and they get through
referrals, the same number come through the door. The whole system is pointing
to the public system, and it is under
pressure. What we need is the private system to do some heavy lifting. We need
the NDIS and the federal government to do the heavy lifting so that we
are sharing the load and supporting our kids.
our health service given the record increase in spend, and that is across all
the health service providers. There has been a record increase in spending in
our health service, including the significant increase in staffing across the
system, the significant uplift in staffing at Perth Children's Hospital
in particular, and the implementation of ratios in the emergency department.
There is pressure on elective surgery. There
is no question of that. We are looking at many, many innovative ways to manage
some of the specialty elective requirements in particular. The member
will note that some private sector paediatric surgery centres are closing down
some of their services because of the difficulty in finding specialists to deliver
the services. When that happens, they come to the public system. That is what
happens when those services are limited. That is what is occurring. When they
are limiting ear, nose and throat services, they come to the public system. I can
assure the Parliament and the community that
we are pulling every lever to ensure that kids get access to the earliest
intervention possible, but there is also a specialty crisis here with
paediatric specialists and ENT specialists in particular. Many specialists opt to work in the private sector, and
I would like to see many of them do more work in the public sector.
Dr D.J. Honey : You've
been in power for seven years.
Ms
A. SANDERSON : Many of them do see
our kids, but people have to have private health insurance. That might be
the case for the community that the member represents, but it is not the case
for the broader community. There is a great public service in being paid very
well in the public system and in delivering care for our most vulnerable
people.
Dr D.J. Honey : So why aren't
you attracting them?
Ms
A. SANDERSON : There is pressure
on services and there is pressure on Child Development Services. In some respects, the National Disability Insurance
Scheme has created enormous pressure on those services to get diagnoses and treatment plans with the NDIS. It is something that I know my colleague the
Minister for Disability Services talks regularly about at the national forum. I
know it is something that the national disability minister is acutely aware of.
It has created a tsunami of referrals into the CDS system. There have been
significant uplifts. There have been blitzes through those waitlists. There
have been increased resources. Every time there is a blitz and they get through
referrals, the same number come through the door. The whole system is pointing
to the public system, and it is under
pressure. What we need is the private system to do some heavy lifting. We need
the NDIS and the federal government to do the heavy lifting so that we
are sharing the load and supporting our kids.
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