❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister for Health about the decision to relocate the women's and babies' hospital and the plan to address ageing facilities at QEII. The Minister defends the decision as a cabinet decision based on new information and outlines planned upgrades to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
AnsweredQoN 305Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOMEN'S
AND BABIES' HOSPITAL — RELOCATION
305. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the minister's captain's call to
abandon plans for the women's and babies' hospital at Queen
Elizabeth II Medical Centre and move it to the Fiona Stanley Hospital site,
which has attracted significant criticism from WA health experts. Given that the original development of the women's
and babies' hospital included a state-of-the-art emergency department, intensive care unit and
theatre complex, what is the government's plan to now address these ageing facilities at QEII?
AND BABIES' HOSPITAL — RELOCATION
305. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the minister's captain's call to
abandon plans for the women's and babies' hospital at Queen
Elizabeth II Medical Centre and move it to the Fiona Stanley Hospital site,
which has attracted significant criticism from WA health experts. Given that the original development of the women's
and babies' hospital included a state-of-the-art emergency department, intensive care unit and
theatre complex, what is the government's plan to now address these ageing facilities at QEII?
AnswerView source ↗
First of all, I will again address the misinformation and
dishonest statement peddled by the Leader of Liberal Party that somehow it was
a captain's call. This was a cabinet decision —
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Minister, I
asked you to withdraw the word ''dishonest''.
Ms A. SANDERSON : I withdraw.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms A. SANDERSON : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
Ms M.M. Quirk : Pants on fire!
Withdrawal of Remark
The
SPEAKER : Member for Landsdale, would you like to withdraw as well?
Ms M.M. QUIRK :
I withdraw that.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms A. SANDERSON : The
relocation was a decision of cabinet made through a process; it was a process
of cabinet. It was a decision made with new information and the reality of what
it would mean with the implications of a very
busy tertiary site that has 14 000 people accessing it every single day—14
000 people access that site every day. We were potentially looking at 10
years of a construction phase; two years to even get to building the hospital because of the existing services already on the
site, with significant disruption; ambulances potentially being caught in construction traffic when trying to get to Perth Children's Hospital
and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital; and a significant disruption to staff and
parking, with dislocation over a protracted period.
The member asked the question: what
are we doing around the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital upgrades? Largely, we will commit to a number of those upgrades, and
they can be done within the envelope. We have already committed to the
emergency department. That is completely separate. We have already committed to
the business case for the emergency department and we will work with Charlies
around what other upgrades it needs, because it continues to be a very
important tertiary hospital. We have relieved it of the pressure of that site
being a construction site for 10 years. We have also relieved the staff from
shuttle-bus parking to the Graylands site over many, many years. We are talking about shiftworkers. We have taken
the decision that it is in the best interests of the whole system, but ,
most of all, it is in the best interests of women and babies that the primary
women's and babies' hospital goes to the Murdoch campus.
dishonest statement peddled by the Leader of Liberal Party that somehow it was
a captain's call. This was a cabinet decision —
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Minister, I
asked you to withdraw the word ''dishonest''.
Ms A. SANDERSON : I withdraw.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms A. SANDERSON : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
Ms M.M. Quirk : Pants on fire!
Withdrawal of Remark
The
SPEAKER : Member for Landsdale, would you like to withdraw as well?
Ms M.M. QUIRK :
I withdraw that.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms A. SANDERSON : The
relocation was a decision of cabinet made through a process; it was a process
of cabinet. It was a decision made with new information and the reality of what
it would mean with the implications of a very
busy tertiary site that has 14 000 people accessing it every single day—14
000 people access that site every day. We were potentially looking at 10
years of a construction phase; two years to even get to building the hospital because of the existing services already on the
site, with significant disruption; ambulances potentially being caught in construction traffic when trying to get to Perth Children's Hospital
and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital; and a significant disruption to staff and
parking, with dislocation over a protracted period.
The member asked the question: what
are we doing around the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital upgrades? Largely, we will commit to a number of those upgrades, and
they can be done within the envelope. We have already committed to the
emergency department. That is completely separate. We have already committed to
the business case for the emergency department and we will work with Charlies
around what other upgrades it needs, because it continues to be a very
important tertiary hospital. We have relieved it of the pressure of that site
being a construction site for 10 years. We have also relieved the staff from
shuttle-bus parking to the Graylands site over many, many years. We are talking about shiftworkers. We have taken
the decision that it is in the best interests of the whole system, but ,
most of all, it is in the best interests of women and babies that the primary
women's and babies' hospital goes to the Murdoch campus.
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