Mr. Cook questions the government's handling of costs associated with retaining Royal Perth Hospital's tertiary status, while Dr. Hames defends the decision by comparing bed numbers under the current and previous Labor government, accusing Mr. Cook of misleading the public.

AnsweredQoN 437Legislative Assembly
Asked
19 May 2009
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

ROYAL PERTH HOSPITAL — TERTIARY STATUS
I refer to the significant cost implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital as a tertiary hospital. (1) Why are these costs yet to be determined or considered by this government, as stated in the budget documents? (2) Why has the government committed the state to such a large cost exposure when the health portfolio is already experiencing double-digit expense growth? (3) What consideration has been given to the spread of staff over RPH and Fiona Stanley Hospital? (4) When will the government consider these costs and provide an analysis detailing these costs and how it intends to pay for them? Dr K.D. HAMES

AnswerView source ↗

(1)-(4) I am really pleased that this member has finally given me the opportunity to answer this question and correct the statement that he keeps making, which is absolutely wrong. To understand the implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital, the member needs to go back to the clinical services framework prepared by his government, detailing which hospitals the former government would fund, which beds it would fund and where those patients were located. I ask the member to cast his mind back to the numbers that were being promoted by the former Labor government’s Minister for Health: Fiona Stanley Hospital, 635 beds — A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
(1) Why are these costs yet to be determined or considered by this government, as stated in the budget documents? (2) Why has the government committed the state to such a large cost exposure when the health portfolio is already experiencing double-digit expense growth? (3) What consideration has been given to the spread of staff over RPH and Fiona Stanley Hospital? (4) When will the government consider these costs and provide an analysis detailing these costs and how it intends to pay for them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am really pleased that this member has finally given me the opportunity to answer this question and correct the statement that he keeps making, which is absolutely wrong. To understand the implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital, the member needs to go back to the clinical services framework prepared by his government, detailing which hospitals the former government would fund, which beds it would fund and where those patients were located. I ask the member to cast his mind back to the numbers that were being promoted by the former Labor government’s Minister for Health: Fiona Stanley Hospital, 635 beds — A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
(2) Why has the government committed the state to such a large cost exposure when the health portfolio is already experiencing double-digit expense growth? (3) What consideration has been given to the spread of staff over RPH and Fiona Stanley Hospital? (4) When will the government consider these costs and provide an analysis detailing these costs and how it intends to pay for them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am really pleased that this member has finally given me the opportunity to answer this question and correct the statement that he keeps making, which is absolutely wrong. To understand the implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital, the member needs to go back to the clinical services framework prepared by his government, detailing which hospitals the former government would fund, which beds it would fund and where those patients were located. I ask the member to cast his mind back to the numbers that were being promoted by the former Labor government’s Minister for Health: Fiona Stanley Hospital, 635 beds — A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
(3) What consideration has been given to the spread of staff over RPH and Fiona Stanley Hospital? (4) When will the government consider these costs and provide an analysis detailing these costs and how it intends to pay for them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am really pleased that this member has finally given me the opportunity to answer this question and correct the statement that he keeps making, which is absolutely wrong. To understand the implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital, the member needs to go back to the clinical services framework prepared by his government, detailing which hospitals the former government would fund, which beds it would fund and where those patients were located. I ask the member to cast his mind back to the numbers that were being promoted by the former Labor government’s Minister for Health: Fiona Stanley Hospital, 635 beds — A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
(4) When will the government consider these costs and provide an analysis detailing these costs and how it intends to pay for them? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am really pleased that this member has finally given me the opportunity to answer this question and correct the statement that he keeps making, which is absolutely wrong. To understand the implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital, the member needs to go back to the clinical services framework prepared by his government, detailing which hospitals the former government would fund, which beds it would fund and where those patients were located. I ask the member to cast his mind back to the numbers that were being promoted by the former Labor government’s Minister for Health: Fiona Stanley Hospital, 635 beds — A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) I am really pleased that this member has finally given me the opportunity to answer this question and correct the statement that he keeps making, which is absolutely wrong. To understand the implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital, the member needs to go back to the clinical services framework prepared by his government, detailing which hospitals the former government would fund, which beds it would fund and where those patients were located. I ask the member to cast his mind back to the numbers that were being promoted by the former Labor government’s Minister for Health: Fiona Stanley Hospital, 635 beds — A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
(1)-(4) I am really pleased that this member has finally given me the opportunity to answer this question and correct the statement that he keeps making, which is absolutely wrong. To understand the implications of retaining Royal Perth Hospital, the member needs to go back to the clinical services framework prepared by his government, detailing which hospitals the former government would fund, which beds it would fund and where those patients were located. I ask the member to cast his mind back to the numbers that were being promoted by the former Labor government’s Minister for Health: Fiona Stanley Hospital, 635 beds — A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
A member: Wrong! Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I apologise; that is for the first stage. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to have 1 000 beds, with the closure of Royal Perth Hospital. That is a total of 1 635 beds in the first instance. What are we going to have? What will happen under our government is that for the first stage of Fiona Stanley Hospital, there will be 635 beds. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will continue to have the 630 beds, roughly, that it has at present. The 400 beds that were to go to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site will be retained at the Royal Perth Hospital site. Therefore, the total number of beds under Liberal versus Labor will stay the same. There will not be an extra 400 beds through the retention of Royal Perth Hospital, because we have deleted those beds that were to be at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.
Let us compare the number of beds currently available at Fremantle Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. When Royal Perth Hospital comes on line, the increase will be in the order of only 100 tertiary beds. That will be the increase compared with what is funded there now. There will be increased pressure in the forward estimates, because extra funding will be required when Joondalup hospital is built and comes on line, and there will be extra funding for Midland hospital and increased funding for Rockingham hospital. However, that is not in the four-year forward estimates. Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital will not be opened during the period of the four-year forward estimates. The member for Kwinana has to stop misleading the public of Western Australia. That is what he is doing. I heard him on the radio saying that there will be a big increase in recurrent funds because of the retention of Royal Perth Hospital. He knows very well that it is not in the forward estimates. Does he think Royal Perth will open within the forward estimates of this budget? Does he think Fiona Stanley will open in the forward estimates? No, they will not. He is wrong.

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