❓ The Minister for Health outlines the government's strategy to increase hospital capacity, particularly ventilated beds, and expand COVID-19 testing programs in Western Australia. The response highlights increased ventilator availability, collaboration with private hospitals, and asymptomatic testing plans.
AnsweredQoN 248Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — HEALTH SYSTEM RESPONSE
248. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Health:
Can the minister outline to the house how the government is
increasing the capacity in WA's hospitals for critical patient care and
further strengthening the ability of our health system to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?
248. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Health:
Can the minister outline to the house how the government is
increasing the capacity in WA's hospitals for critical patient care and
further strengthening the ability of our health system to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. As the member would be aware, some really good numbers are coming
through now. That is incredibly encouraging, and long may it continue.
That has bought us precious time to do preparation and planning within our hospital system to make sure we are ready. I am
very proud to be able to say that our WA hospitals stand ready for
anything that COVID-19 throws at us.
Yesterday, I was in the
very fortunate position to announce that more than 600 ventilated beds will be
made available under a new strategy to build capacity for our health
system as part of a surge strategy around any escalation in COVID-19 cases. We are implementing a three-step plan to increase ventilator
availability across the state for COVID-19 patients. This new plan represents a
diligent approach to capacity management and will ensure that our hospitals are
ready when we need them. It is around making sure we have a wide range of
ventilators of different functions. Some are long term, some are short term,
some are for travel, some are more appropriate for COVID patients, some are in
ICU or critical care areas, and others are in general wards. This strategic and
methodological approach will see the entire Western Australian health system
collaborate to further prepare our hospitals for those who require critical
care.
The ventilator beds will be ready in line with patient demand
and surge capacity plans across all public hospitals. Our private hospitals
stand alongside the public hospitals, ready to receive any COVID-19 patients.
This strategy also incorporates the purchase
and delivery of an additional 301 ventilators, the first of which are due to
arrive in the coming weeks in April
and will form part of the more than $15 million fast-track spending on vital
equipment. T his will take the ventilated bed capacity from around 111
across our public hospitals to well over 600, which represents a significant
increase in our capacity and ensures that we are ready for whatever this
disease throws at us.
This announcement comes in concert with our expanding testing
program that we announced last week. People can
now get a COVID-19 test with a referral from their general practitioner at any
of the seven COVID clinics within the
metropolitan area or the nine clinics in total with Bunbury and Broome. In
addition, people can be tested at any of the WA Country Health Service,
Aboriginal Medical Service or Royal Flying Doctor Service clinics. GPs are now
working with private pathology laboratories to ensure the widest possible
regime to make sure they pick up any symptomatic patients.
As I announced last week as part of our return to school
work, I had meetings with medical researchers last week around designing an
asymptomatic testing regime to ensure we have the focus we need, particularly
on important cohorts such as healthcare workers, police officers,
schoolteachers and so on to ensure that we continue to test people—in
this instance, those who are asymptomatic—to make sure we have this bug's
number, so that we can see it wherever it occurs, whenever it occurs. Obviously
we have a wide testing regime for symptomatic cases, but soon that will be done
for asymptomatic positive COVID patients as well.
We are getting some really
good numbers, and that is down to the great work of the WA community practising
good social distance, good personal hygiene and following the advice of
the medical authorities. With the continued work of the Western Australian
community, we will get on top of the COVID-19 virus.
question. As the member would be aware, some really good numbers are coming
through now. That is incredibly encouraging, and long may it continue.
That has bought us precious time to do preparation and planning within our hospital system to make sure we are ready. I am
very proud to be able to say that our WA hospitals stand ready for
anything that COVID-19 throws at us.
Yesterday, I was in the
very fortunate position to announce that more than 600 ventilated beds will be
made available under a new strategy to build capacity for our health
system as part of a surge strategy around any escalation in COVID-19 cases. We are implementing a three-step plan to increase ventilator
availability across the state for COVID-19 patients. This new plan represents a
diligent approach to capacity management and will ensure that our hospitals are
ready when we need them. It is around making sure we have a wide range of
ventilators of different functions. Some are long term, some are short term,
some are for travel, some are more appropriate for COVID patients, some are in
ICU or critical care areas, and others are in general wards. This strategic and
methodological approach will see the entire Western Australian health system
collaborate to further prepare our hospitals for those who require critical
care.
The ventilator beds will be ready in line with patient demand
and surge capacity plans across all public hospitals. Our private hospitals
stand alongside the public hospitals, ready to receive any COVID-19 patients.
This strategy also incorporates the purchase
and delivery of an additional 301 ventilators, the first of which are due to
arrive in the coming weeks in April
and will form part of the more than $15 million fast-track spending on vital
equipment. T his will take the ventilated bed capacity from around 111
across our public hospitals to well over 600, which represents a significant
increase in our capacity and ensures that we are ready for whatever this
disease throws at us.
This announcement comes in concert with our expanding testing
program that we announced last week. People can
now get a COVID-19 test with a referral from their general practitioner at any
of the seven COVID clinics within the
metropolitan area or the nine clinics in total with Bunbury and Broome. In
addition, people can be tested at any of the WA Country Health Service,
Aboriginal Medical Service or Royal Flying Doctor Service clinics. GPs are now
working with private pathology laboratories to ensure the widest possible
regime to make sure they pick up any symptomatic patients.
As I announced last week as part of our return to school
work, I had meetings with medical researchers last week around designing an
asymptomatic testing regime to ensure we have the focus we need, particularly
on important cohorts such as healthcare workers, police officers,
schoolteachers and so on to ensure that we continue to test people—in
this instance, those who are asymptomatic—to make sure we have this bug's
number, so that we can see it wherever it occurs, whenever it occurs. Obviously
we have a wide testing regime for symptomatic cases, but soon that will be done
for asymptomatic positive COVID patients as well.
We are getting some really
good numbers, and that is down to the great work of the WA community practising
good social distance, good personal hygiene and following the advice of
the medical authorities. With the continued work of the Western Australian
community, we will get on top of the COVID-19 virus.
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