❓ Mr. Cook questions potential tertiary bed reductions in Perth hospitals, citing AMA concerns and budget issues. The Minister responds by denying overall tertiary bed reductions, highlighting a shift towards secondary beds and decentralised care based on the Reid review.
AnsweredQoN 963Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TERTIARY
HOSPITAL BEDS
963. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
I refer to calls from the Australian Medical Association to
increase bed numbers at Perth tertiary hospitals by 100 beds, and the minister's
revelations that hospitals are in fact over budget.
(1) Will there be a reduction in the overall tertiary bed
numbers?
(2) If so, where and by how many will these reductions occur?
(3) Can the minister
confirm reports that around 60 tertiary beds will be reduced across Perth
tertiary hospitals?
HOSPITAL BEDS
963. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
I refer to calls from the Australian Medical Association to
increase bed numbers at Perth tertiary hospitals by 100 beds, and the minister's
revelations that hospitals are in fact over budget.
(1) Will there be a reduction in the overall tertiary bed
numbers?
(2) If so, where and by how many will these reductions occur?
(3) Can the minister
confirm reports that around 60 tertiary beds will be reduced across Perth
tertiary hospitals?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
I wonder whether the member read the Reid review? In fact, the member sat
behind him was on the review and could probably update him. What was the
premise of the Reid review? What did the Reid review say that we needed to do?
It was to reduce tertiary beds. The member's program was to reduce
tertiary beds and increase secondary beds. We are not in fact reducing tertiary
beds. The answer is, no, we are not reducing total number of tertiary beds. The
AMA has been saying this over and again, and we have worked out that the number
of adult tertiary multi-day day beds is being reduced by a small number—something
in the order of 60 across the system—but the total number of beds, the
secondary beds, is increasing by hundreds.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
do not care what the member asked. The member's premise of the Reid
review was that patients should be moved out of expensive —
Mr R.H. Cook : No,
my question was about tertiary beds.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
direction of the member's previous government was to reduce the
high-cost tertiary beds and move them closer to home and into cheaper beds—hence,
Rockingham General Hospital. If the member is going to change and say that he
wants to keep tertiary beds, we should downsize Rockingham hospital, because
that goes totally contrary to what the member stood for. The member's
government stood for reducing numbers —
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
am just giving the member an answer. It would be great if I could give an
answer without the member asking other questions in the middle of my answer.
The premise of the Reid review was that too many people were
in tertiary hospitals who did not need to be there and the cost of tertiary
hospitals are much higher. What we should be doing is building the peripheral
ring of hospitals, and that is what we have done as a government. We have grown
Joondalup Health Campus, we have built Midland Public Hospital, and Rockingham
General Hospital was significantly increased in size. We are moving people
closer to home where less severe conditions can be looked after adequately
without the high cost of tertiary hospitals, and the tertiary hospitals are
focusing on what they are supposed to be doing, which is high-level care. That
is what the government is doing following the Reid review.
I wonder whether the member read the Reid review? In fact, the member sat
behind him was on the review and could probably update him. What was the
premise of the Reid review? What did the Reid review say that we needed to do?
It was to reduce tertiary beds. The member's program was to reduce
tertiary beds and increase secondary beds. We are not in fact reducing tertiary
beds. The answer is, no, we are not reducing total number of tertiary beds. The
AMA has been saying this over and again, and we have worked out that the number
of adult tertiary multi-day day beds is being reduced by a small number—something
in the order of 60 across the system—but the total number of beds, the
secondary beds, is increasing by hundreds.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
do not care what the member asked. The member's premise of the Reid
review was that patients should be moved out of expensive —
Mr R.H. Cook : No,
my question was about tertiary beds.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
direction of the member's previous government was to reduce the
high-cost tertiary beds and move them closer to home and into cheaper beds—hence,
Rockingham General Hospital. If the member is going to change and say that he
wants to keep tertiary beds, we should downsize Rockingham hospital, because
that goes totally contrary to what the member stood for. The member's
government stood for reducing numbers —
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
am just giving the member an answer. It would be great if I could give an
answer without the member asking other questions in the middle of my answer.
The premise of the Reid review was that too many people were
in tertiary hospitals who did not need to be there and the cost of tertiary
hospitals are much higher. What we should be doing is building the peripheral
ring of hospitals, and that is what we have done as a government. We have grown
Joondalup Health Campus, we have built Midland Public Hospital, and Rockingham
General Hospital was significantly increased in size. We are moving people
closer to home where less severe conditions can be looked after adequately
without the high cost of tertiary hospitals, and the tertiary hospitals are
focusing on what they are supposed to be doing, which is high-level care. That
is what the government is doing following the Reid review.
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