❓ Dr. Honey questions the Minister for Health about a report indicating WA emergency departments are underperforming. The Minister disputes the report's methodology and claims WA is performing well overall, citing improvements in staffing and bed numbers.
AnsweredQoN 129Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENTS
129. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to a report from the Australian Medical Association that was published in The Australian of 31 January that states that across Australia, seven
out of 10 of the worst performing emergency departments for failing to treat patients
within clinically recommended time frames are in Western Australia. Can the
minister explain why Western Australia was the worst performing jurisdiction?
DEPARTMENTS
129. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to a report from the Australian Medical Association that was published in The Australian of 31 January that states that across Australia, seven
out of 10 of the worst performing emergency departments for failing to treat patients
within clinically recommended time frames are in Western Australia. Can the
minister explain why Western Australia was the worst performing jurisdiction?
AnswerView source ↗
The member's colleague
sitting right next to him has already asked this exact question. I would remind
the member for Cottesloe that the Leader of the Liberal Party has this year
asked me the exact same question, although she did ask it incorrectly. She said
seven out of 10, when the report says seven out of eight.
That report was developed using
Australasian Triage Score 3 data. That is people who are unwell and need to see someone within 30 minutes or so. That was
one dataset that was used and, frankly, weaponised for a particular purpose.
Overall, Western Australia is
performing very well on the four-hour rule. That is the standard measurement
that all emergency departments measure each other against. We are performing
very well on that four-hour rule.
We are also performing well in our
increase in FTEs—in improving the number of staff on the floor
supporting our health system.
We have also delivered 523 beds to
our system in 12 months—523 beds, which includes 40 mental health
transition care beds. All those beds help to ease flow through our hospitals—through
every single part of the hospital.
It is no secret that, certainly over
the last 12 months, it has been very challenging in hospitals around the
country because of very high levels of COVID in our hospitals. We had COVID for
most of last year, including right up until the end of the year, which meant
that we had a lot of leave and a lot of people not coming to work, and quite
rightly, because they did not want to infect people. Every hospital system is
challenged by this.
I take issue with the data and I take
issue with the report. I have to say that following the release of that report,
the president of the Australian Medical Association went on to do an interview
that was factually wrong. He has since called me and apologised for getting it
so wrong in the claims that he made. I am saying that they are using data to get a particular result. Overall, we are
performing very well nationally; our emergency departments are absolutely performing very well. Our ramping figures for this February were significantly
lower than last year when we also had COVID in the community. Our healthcare
workers are working —
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please! I
am going to ask you to cease those repetitive interjections.
Ms A. SANDERSON : I will
conclude by saying that I am looking forward to hearing some constructive ideas
from the opposition on health. I am looking forward to hearing a policy. I look
forward to hearing constructive ideas. Six years and not one policy!
sitting right next to him has already asked this exact question. I would remind
the member for Cottesloe that the Leader of the Liberal Party has this year
asked me the exact same question, although she did ask it incorrectly. She said
seven out of 10, when the report says seven out of eight.
That report was developed using
Australasian Triage Score 3 data. That is people who are unwell and need to see someone within 30 minutes or so. That was
one dataset that was used and, frankly, weaponised for a particular purpose.
Overall, Western Australia is
performing very well on the four-hour rule. That is the standard measurement
that all emergency departments measure each other against. We are performing
very well on that four-hour rule.
We are also performing well in our
increase in FTEs—in improving the number of staff on the floor
supporting our health system.
We have also delivered 523 beds to
our system in 12 months—523 beds, which includes 40 mental health
transition care beds. All those beds help to ease flow through our hospitals—through
every single part of the hospital.
It is no secret that, certainly over
the last 12 months, it has been very challenging in hospitals around the
country because of very high levels of COVID in our hospitals. We had COVID for
most of last year, including right up until the end of the year, which meant
that we had a lot of leave and a lot of people not coming to work, and quite
rightly, because they did not want to infect people. Every hospital system is
challenged by this.
I take issue with the data and I take
issue with the report. I have to say that following the release of that report,
the president of the Australian Medical Association went on to do an interview
that was factually wrong. He has since called me and apologised for getting it
so wrong in the claims that he made. I am saying that they are using data to get a particular result. Overall, we are
performing very well nationally; our emergency departments are absolutely performing very well. Our ramping figures for this February were significantly
lower than last year when we also had COVID in the community. Our healthcare
workers are working —
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please! I
am going to ask you to cease those repetitive interjections.
Ms A. SANDERSON : I will
conclude by saying that I am looking forward to hearing some constructive ideas
from the opposition on health. I am looking forward to hearing a policy. I look
forward to hearing constructive ideas. Six years and not one policy!
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