❓ Mr. Rundle questions the Minister for Health about funding for Child Development Services (CDS) given increased demand. The Minister acknowledges the demand surge, workforce challenges, and outlines government support and reforms, including community hubs.
AnsweredQoN 724Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT
HEALTH SERVICE — CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
724. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Child and
Adolescent Health Service: Annual report 2022–23 , which
states —
Increasing demand for CDS services
continues to impact on the timeliness of assessment and intervention services,
with the number of referrals increasing 52 per cent over the last decade and no
major increase in funding to match the increasing demand.
Given that demand for clinical
psychology services has increased by 114 per cent and paediatrician
appointments by 132 per cent, why has the minister failed to provide the
required funding to ensure Western Australian children can get timely access to
the treatments that they need?
Mr D.J. Kelly interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bassendean, that is out of order.
HEALTH SERVICE — CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
724. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Child and
Adolescent Health Service: Annual report 2022–23 , which
states —
Increasing demand for CDS services
continues to impact on the timeliness of assessment and intervention services,
with the number of referrals increasing 52 per cent over the last decade and no
major increase in funding to match the increasing demand.
Given that demand for clinical
psychology services has increased by 114 per cent and paediatrician
appointments by 132 per cent, why has the minister failed to provide the
required funding to ensure Western Australian children can get timely access to
the treatments that they need?
Mr D.J. Kelly interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bassendean, that is out of order.
AnswerView source ↗
As
the member opposite rightly pointed out, referrals have increased by 52 per cent.
That exactly demonstrates the point I made, which is that we are
experiencing a tsunami of referrals into the system. We are seeing a lot of the
expertise retire or go to the private sector. Many of their clients then end up
back on the books of the child development
services. That is what we are seeing. We are working closely with the inquiry
that we supported in the upper house around what we can do to improve
the workforce flow. Many of the levers available around workforce in particular
are not necessarily in the state's control. For many of those who
support allied health qualifications or
psychology qualifications, particularly postgraduate psychology qualifications,
a very small number are accepted into those courses every year when the
demand is enormous. We are working with those colleges and the inquiry is certainly
interrogating those issues. There are a multitude of reasons why this is a very
challenging area, and it is absolutely not because the government does not
support it. The government supports it and works closely with our allies,
Telethon Kids Institute and the private sector, but the reality is that many
paediatricians choose to go to the private sector and many of them are retiring
because they are overwhelmed. That leaves even more people on public waitlists.
The services are incredible. They work day and night to support families. We
are reforming the way those services operate as well with community hubs, much
of which was essentially criticised by the member's colleagues a few
weeks ago. Many of those services see incredibly complex children who need a multitude
of disciplines—speech, occupational therapists, psychologists, clinical
support and paediatric support. Parents take time off work to go to every given
appointment. Based on consultation with those clients, we are supporting the
hub model in which all those disciplines are together. That will improve the
efficiency of the systems and those appointments, and also improve the
experience for patients and their families.
the member opposite rightly pointed out, referrals have increased by 52 per cent.
That exactly demonstrates the point I made, which is that we are
experiencing a tsunami of referrals into the system. We are seeing a lot of the
expertise retire or go to the private sector. Many of their clients then end up
back on the books of the child development
services. That is what we are seeing. We are working closely with the inquiry
that we supported in the upper house around what we can do to improve
the workforce flow. Many of the levers available around workforce in particular
are not necessarily in the state's control. For many of those who
support allied health qualifications or
psychology qualifications, particularly postgraduate psychology qualifications,
a very small number are accepted into those courses every year when the
demand is enormous. We are working with those colleges and the inquiry is certainly
interrogating those issues. There are a multitude of reasons why this is a very
challenging area, and it is absolutely not because the government does not
support it. The government supports it and works closely with our allies,
Telethon Kids Institute and the private sector, but the reality is that many
paediatricians choose to go to the private sector and many of them are retiring
because they are overwhelmed. That leaves even more people on public waitlists.
The services are incredible. They work day and night to support families. We
are reforming the way those services operate as well with community hubs, much
of which was essentially criticised by the member's colleagues a few
weeks ago. Many of those services see incredibly complex children who need a multitude
of disciplines—speech, occupational therapists, psychologists, clinical
support and paediatric support. Parents take time off work to go to every given
appointment. Based on consultation with those clients, we are supporting the
hub model in which all those disciplines are together. That will improve the
efficiency of the systems and those appointments, and also improve the
experience for patients and their families.
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