❓ Ms Mettam questions the Minister for Health regarding the discrepancy between the stated increase of 929 beds and Department of Health figures showing a decrease in metropolitan beds. The Minister defends the 929 figure, clarifying the definition of 'available' beds.
AnsweredQoN 328Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Health—Bed availability
328. Ms Libby Mettam to
the Minister for Health:
I refer to
statements made by the minister that the state government has added an additional
929 beds, including 863 in metropolitan hospitals, into the WA health system.
How does the minister explain this figure when information provided to
Parliament by the Department of Health shows 4,017 metropolitan beds in May 2025
and 3,899 metro beds in 2018?
328. Ms Libby Mettam to
the Minister for Health:
I refer to
statements made by the minister that the state government has added an additional
929 beds, including 863 in metropolitan hospitals, into the WA health system.
How does the minister explain this figure when information provided to
Parliament by the Department of Health shows 4,017 metropolitan beds in May 2025
and 3,899 metro beds in 2018?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for the question. We are very proud of our record in delivering those more than
900 additional beds.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Meredith Hammat: I think 929 beds is the most
recent figure. As I stated in an earlier answer, that does not include Hospital
in the Home beds, which add to that number. I want to be clear about beds and
how they are defined—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms Meredith Hammat: The definition that we have used
when discussing those additional beds is consistent with the definition used by
the Australian—
Ms Sandra Brewer interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Meredith Hammat: It is consistent with the definition
used by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. I do not have the figures
to which the member referred in front of me. There is a difference between
those figures and what would be considered an accessible or available bed. It
is important to understand that the number of available beds in the system will
change over the course of a day. It changes every day and changes over the
course of a day because not every bed is available on every occasion in a day.
The reasons it might change, for example, are because a patient has been
discharged and that room needs to be cleaned before another patient can use it.
It may be that some maintenance is potentially required for one of those beds.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members.
Ms Meredith Hammat: There could be a range of reasons on any given day at any given time why that
is the case. That is why the more accurate measure is to count the number of
beds that have been added through infrastructure upgrades. That is what we have
been doing and that is the number that we have shared and the number that we are
very proud of in terms of an additional—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members, you have asked the question. The
minister is responding. You will get a supplementary question.
Ms Meredith Hammat: That is the number we referred to.
It is a much more reliable number that indicates that we are increasing
capacity in the system—as I said, another 929 beds.
for the question. We are very proud of our record in delivering those more than
900 additional beds.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Meredith Hammat: I think 929 beds is the most
recent figure. As I stated in an earlier answer, that does not include Hospital
in the Home beds, which add to that number. I want to be clear about beds and
how they are defined—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms Meredith Hammat: The definition that we have used
when discussing those additional beds is consistent with the definition used by
the Australian—
Ms Sandra Brewer interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Meredith Hammat: It is consistent with the definition
used by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. I do not have the figures
to which the member referred in front of me. There is a difference between
those figures and what would be considered an accessible or available bed. It
is important to understand that the number of available beds in the system will
change over the course of a day. It changes every day and changes over the
course of a day because not every bed is available on every occasion in a day.
The reasons it might change, for example, are because a patient has been
discharged and that room needs to be cleaned before another patient can use it.
It may be that some maintenance is potentially required for one of those beds.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members.
Ms Meredith Hammat: There could be a range of reasons on any given day at any given time why that
is the case. That is why the more accurate measure is to count the number of
beds that have been added through infrastructure upgrades. That is what we have
been doing and that is the number that we have shared and the number that we are
very proud of in terms of an additional—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members, you have asked the question. The
minister is responding. You will get a supplementary question.
Ms Meredith Hammat: That is the number we referred to.
It is a much more reliable number that indicates that we are increasing
capacity in the system—as I said, another 929 beds.
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