❓ Opposition MP Ravlich questions the Minister for Mental Health about her awareness of the South Metropolitan Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) restructure, given her previous statement denying knowledge of any changes. The Minister claims she was unaware of the planning and defends the restructure as an improvement to mental health services.
AnsweredQoN 422Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
SOUTH METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM
422. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to the minister's response to this house on
26 May 2011 when asked to give an assurance that the south metropolitan
community emergency response team would not be closed or have its staff reduced,
to which the minister replied —
I want to make it absolutely clear
that at no time in the entire time I have been either parliamentary secretary
or a minister have I heard of anything at all about the reduction, closure or
anything else to do with the CERT team.
Given that the planning for the restructure was well underway
15 months before the minister made that statement to the house, why was she not
aware that this restructure was taking place?
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM
422. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to the minister's response to this house on
26 May 2011 when asked to give an assurance that the south metropolitan
community emergency response team would not be closed or have its staff reduced,
to which the minister replied —
I want to make it absolutely clear
that at no time in the entire time I have been either parliamentary secretary
or a minister have I heard of anything at all about the reduction, closure or
anything else to do with the CERT team.
Given that the planning for the restructure was well underway
15 months before the minister made that statement to the house, why was she not
aware that this restructure was taking place?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for raising this
issue yet again. When I said that I have not heard about—I cannot
remember the words the member used—a restructure or closure or
something or other of CERT, I had not. There was nothing else I could say about
that. I had not heard about it, so why would I say I had if I had not? I had
not heard about it. There was nothing more anybody could say, other than to
tell it factually as it was. In terms of the planning that started 15 months
ago, I was not aware of the planning started 15 months ago. I had not actually
been the minister 15 months before that, either.
My involvement with the health
services around the metropolitan area in particular was around admission and
discharge issues. I knew about CERT, I knew about the mental health emergency
response line; I knew about the interaction, but the thing I was most concerned
about was that CERT was not able to provide the level of intensive acute care
service it is now moving towards. The issues around the acute assessment and
treatment teams that they are now morphing into is precisely what I was hoping
they would become. I have no concerns about saying that the move that is now
taking place is absolutely precisely what is needed in this metropolitan area
of Western Australia. It means that families will be able to have intensive,
community-based support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whereas CERT was
not providing that service. I think it is a fantastic outcome.
issue yet again. When I said that I have not heard about—I cannot
remember the words the member used—a restructure or closure or
something or other of CERT, I had not. There was nothing else I could say about
that. I had not heard about it, so why would I say I had if I had not? I had
not heard about it. There was nothing more anybody could say, other than to
tell it factually as it was. In terms of the planning that started 15 months
ago, I was not aware of the planning started 15 months ago. I had not actually
been the minister 15 months before that, either.
My involvement with the health
services around the metropolitan area in particular was around admission and
discharge issues. I knew about CERT, I knew about the mental health emergency
response line; I knew about the interaction, but the thing I was most concerned
about was that CERT was not able to provide the level of intensive acute care
service it is now moving towards. The issues around the acute assessment and
treatment teams that they are now morphing into is precisely what I was hoping
they would become. I have no concerns about saying that the move that is now
taking place is absolutely precisely what is needed in this metropolitan area
of Western Australia. It means that families will be able to have intensive,
community-based support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whereas CERT was
not providing that service. I think it is a fantastic outcome.
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