❓ Mr Blayney raises concerns about dialysis access in Geraldton, prompting a response from the Minister for Health detailing current capacity, waitlists, and future plans, including no immediate expansion in Geraldton but recent expansion in Carnarvon.
AnsweredQoN 735Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DIALYSIS —
GERALDTON
735. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to a number of cases in which Geraldton residents have been forced to
travel and, in some cases, rent properties in Perth while receiving
dialysis treatment due to the lack of available dialysis chairs at Geraldton
Health Campus.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house whether the government has a plan to increase the
number of dialysis chairs at Geraldton hospital?
(2) If yes, how
many new chairs will the government provide?
(3) Will the
government provide the training and resources to increase the number of
suitably trained haemodialysis nurses at Geraldton Health Campus to facilitate
more treatment?
GERALDTON
735. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to a number of cases in which Geraldton residents have been forced to
travel and, in some cases, rent properties in Perth while receiving
dialysis treatment due to the lack of available dialysis chairs at Geraldton
Health Campus.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house whether the government has a plan to increase the
number of dialysis chairs at Geraldton hospital?
(2) If yes, how
many new chairs will the government provide?
(3) Will the
government provide the training and resources to increase the number of
suitably trained haemodialysis nurses at Geraldton Health Campus to facilitate
more treatment?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of the question.
(1) I am happy to
inform the chamber that Geraldton Health Campus has a same-day inpatient
haemodialysis unit with nine chairs. The
chairs are rostered Monday to Saturday. Maximum capacity on current utilisation is 36 people dialysing three times a week. As of 2 September 2019, five people
were waitlisted to transfer to Geraldton for
dialysis. Of the five, four were active and receiving dialysis elsewhere. Two
of the four people did not have
Geraldton as their first preference; rather, they had Carnarvon as their first
preference and Geraldton as their second preference. Of the five people
on the waitlist, three lived in communities other than Geraldton and two lived
in Geraldton. The fifth person is listed as interim, meaning they are not ready
to transfer to Geraldton as of 2 September 2019.
(2) There are
apparently no plans to expand the number of dialysis chairs in the Geraldton
hospital. However, the midwest region recently opened four haemodialysis chairs
in Carnarvon in 2018 to ensure that haemodialysis services were available
closer to communities where people live. They are being utilised by 12 people.
(3) Geraldton
hospital builds on dialysis capacity within the nursing structure by utilising
existing nurses to guide theoretical and experiential learning at site. The nursing
resource at site is supported by a renal clinical nurse consultant whose core
function is to provide clinical leadership, education and consultancy to
patients and clinical healthcare professionals and providers internal and
external to the position. In addition, the Geraldton hospital dialysis unit
maintains a relationship with Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for governance and support. WACHS has commenced
planning for a chronic and end-stage kidney disease service across all
regions and districts.
of the question.
(1) I am happy to
inform the chamber that Geraldton Health Campus has a same-day inpatient
haemodialysis unit with nine chairs. The
chairs are rostered Monday to Saturday. Maximum capacity on current utilisation is 36 people dialysing three times a week. As of 2 September 2019, five people
were waitlisted to transfer to Geraldton for
dialysis. Of the five, four were active and receiving dialysis elsewhere. Two
of the four people did not have
Geraldton as their first preference; rather, they had Carnarvon as their first
preference and Geraldton as their second preference. Of the five people
on the waitlist, three lived in communities other than Geraldton and two lived
in Geraldton. The fifth person is listed as interim, meaning they are not ready
to transfer to Geraldton as of 2 September 2019.
(2) There are
apparently no plans to expand the number of dialysis chairs in the Geraldton
hospital. However, the midwest region recently opened four haemodialysis chairs
in Carnarvon in 2018 to ensure that haemodialysis services were available
closer to communities where people live. They are being utilised by 12 people.
(3) Geraldton
hospital builds on dialysis capacity within the nursing structure by utilising
existing nurses to guide theoretical and experiential learning at site. The nursing
resource at site is supported by a renal clinical nurse consultant whose core
function is to provide clinical leadership, education and consultancy to
patients and clinical healthcare professionals and providers internal and
external to the position. In addition, the Geraldton hospital dialysis unit
maintains a relationship with Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for governance and support. WACHS has commenced
planning for a chronic and end-stage kidney disease service across all
regions and districts.
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