❓ Ms. Collins asks about the success of the Hospital in the Home program. The Premier responds by highlighting investments in health, workforce growth, and expansion of the program, noting its positive impact on patients and hospital capacity.
AnsweredQoN 371Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Health—Hospital in the Home
371. Ms Caitlin Collins to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring that Western Australians receive the
health care that they need when they need it. Can the Premier update the house
on the success of alternative models of care such as Western Australia's Hospital
in the Home, and advise how this innovative model of care is delivering
benefits to patients and families across the state?
371. Ms Caitlin Collins to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring that Western Australians receive the
health care that they need when they need it. Can the Premier update the house
on the success of alternative models of care such as Western Australia's Hospital
in the Home, and advise how this innovative model of care is delivering
benefits to patients and families across the state?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for the question. Before I answer, on behalf of the member for Butler, I
welcome her parents, Vic and Jane Clarke, to the Speaker's gallery today.
My government's priorities
are jobs, health and housing. We are focused on ensuring that all Western
Australians have access to the infrastructure and services they need no matter
where they live, and, of course, that extends to health care. We want all
Western Australians to have access to the health care they need when they need
it because, put simply, they deserve it. To achieve this vision, we need to
meet the health needs of our growing and ageing population. That is why we have
delivered more than 900 new hospital beds since 2021; invested $3.2 billion in
new hospitals and upgraded emergency departments across WA; grown the health
workforce by over 33% since 2021, hitting the milestone of 5,000 new nurses and
1,900 new doctors; increased health maintenance spending by 40%; announced the
$50 million maintenance blitz to our old hospitals; and delivered alternative
models of care to keep people out of hospital, which includes working with the commonwealth
to deliver more aged-care beds, urgent care clinics and GPs; training
pharmacists to treat more conditions, taking pressure off GPs; opening three
older adult hubs across the metro area to coordinate care for older people at
risk of hospitalisation; an election commitment to provide $100 million in low-interest
loans to support aged-care providers; and expanding, of course, the WA Virtual Emergency
Department service to children, diverting literally hundreds of Western
Australians every year away from our emergency departments. We know that there
is always more to be done and we will never shy away from that responsibility,
which is why we have a clear plan for a stronger and more resilient system—one
that encompasses more staff, more beds, more care in the community, more new or
redeveloped hospitals and facilities and more new models of care.
Members would have
heard the Minister for Health and me speak at great length about the WA Virtual
Emergency Department, which is an important program, as I said. But another program
that eases the pressure in the same way is called Hospital in the Home. It
allows patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their homes, closer
to family and friends. A multidisciplinary team of health professionals, hospital
doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health teams visit people where they
are and treat a range of conditions, including post-surgical care, chronic
disease management and infection treatment. Through the North Metropolitan
Health Service alone, the program last year saw close to 4,000 home visits
across Sir Charles Gairdner and Osborne Park Hospitals. On any given day, 150 patients
across WA are treated in their homes. It is a significant scale program that reduces
the pressure on our hospitals. That equates to around 150 people every day who
would otherwise be in a hospital. As part of the state budget, we have invested
$5.2 million to build additional capacity in the Hospital in the Home program,
which will mean more patients staying in the comfort of their home and more
hospital beds for patients who need them. This expansion will mean 6,500 more
Western Australians can access hospital-level care from their home in the next
year, which is a great outcome for WA patients, WA families and the WA health
system.
We are quite aware
that the job is far from over, but we know what we need to do, and that is to ensure
that there is a clear plan, funding and more resources than ever going into the
mission to make WA the healthiest state in the nation.
Visitors
The Speaker: Member for Geraldton, before I give you
the call, on behalf of the member for Warren–Blackwood, I welcome the
staff and year 6 students from Manjimup Primary School who are in the public
gallery. Welcome.
for the question. Before I answer, on behalf of the member for Butler, I
welcome her parents, Vic and Jane Clarke, to the Speaker's gallery today.
My government's priorities
are jobs, health and housing. We are focused on ensuring that all Western
Australians have access to the infrastructure and services they need no matter
where they live, and, of course, that extends to health care. We want all
Western Australians to have access to the health care they need when they need
it because, put simply, they deserve it. To achieve this vision, we need to
meet the health needs of our growing and ageing population. That is why we have
delivered more than 900 new hospital beds since 2021; invested $3.2 billion in
new hospitals and upgraded emergency departments across WA; grown the health
workforce by over 33% since 2021, hitting the milestone of 5,000 new nurses and
1,900 new doctors; increased health maintenance spending by 40%; announced the
$50 million maintenance blitz to our old hospitals; and delivered alternative
models of care to keep people out of hospital, which includes working with the commonwealth
to deliver more aged-care beds, urgent care clinics and GPs; training
pharmacists to treat more conditions, taking pressure off GPs; opening three
older adult hubs across the metro area to coordinate care for older people at
risk of hospitalisation; an election commitment to provide $100 million in low-interest
loans to support aged-care providers; and expanding, of course, the WA Virtual Emergency
Department service to children, diverting literally hundreds of Western
Australians every year away from our emergency departments. We know that there
is always more to be done and we will never shy away from that responsibility,
which is why we have a clear plan for a stronger and more resilient system—one
that encompasses more staff, more beds, more care in the community, more new or
redeveloped hospitals and facilities and more new models of care.
Members would have
heard the Minister for Health and me speak at great length about the WA Virtual
Emergency Department, which is an important program, as I said. But another program
that eases the pressure in the same way is called Hospital in the Home. It
allows patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their homes, closer
to family and friends. A multidisciplinary team of health professionals, hospital
doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health teams visit people where they
are and treat a range of conditions, including post-surgical care, chronic
disease management and infection treatment. Through the North Metropolitan
Health Service alone, the program last year saw close to 4,000 home visits
across Sir Charles Gairdner and Osborne Park Hospitals. On any given day, 150 patients
across WA are treated in their homes. It is a significant scale program that reduces
the pressure on our hospitals. That equates to around 150 people every day who
would otherwise be in a hospital. As part of the state budget, we have invested
$5.2 million to build additional capacity in the Hospital in the Home program,
which will mean more patients staying in the comfort of their home and more
hospital beds for patients who need them. This expansion will mean 6,500 more
Western Australians can access hospital-level care from their home in the next
year, which is a great outcome for WA patients, WA families and the WA health
system.
We are quite aware
that the job is far from over, but we know what we need to do, and that is to ensure
that there is a clear plan, funding and more resources than ever going into the
mission to make WA the healthiest state in the nation.
Visitors
The Speaker: Member for Geraldton, before I give you
the call, on behalf of the member for Warren–Blackwood, I welcome the
staff and year 6 students from Manjimup Primary School who are in the public
gallery. Welcome.
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