❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health about commissioning 70 beds at Joondalup Hospital to alleviate pressure on Perth hospitals due to delays at Fiona Stanley Hospital. The Minister confirms bed expansion and funding allocation is underway, but not all beds may be immediately commissioned.
AnsweredQoN 293Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC HOSPITAL BEDS
293. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
At least the minister has turned up for the show.
I refer to comments by the minister that the crisis in
ambulance ramping and the capacity problems in Perth hospitals would not
improve until new beds become available at the now delayed Fiona Stanley
Hospital.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that 70 beds at Joondalup hospital could be commissioned
immediately, now that the private wing of that hospital has been opened?
(2) Will the
minister undertake to immediately commission those beds to ease the bed
shortage in Perth hospitals?
293. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
At least the minister has turned up for the show.
I refer to comments by the minister that the crisis in
ambulance ramping and the capacity problems in Perth hospitals would not
improve until new beds become available at the now delayed Fiona Stanley
Hospital.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that 70 beds at Joondalup hospital could be commissioned
immediately, now that the private wing of that hospital has been opened?
(2) Will the
minister undertake to immediately commission those beds to ease the bed
shortage in Perth hospitals?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I first acknowledge the
presence at the back of the chamber of some fantastic young students from south
Mandurah primary school, and their teacher. Welcome. We enjoyed a great lunch.
(1)–(2)
I have said those words in the past: until Fiona Stanley Hospital opens and we
get those additional beds, it will be very difficult to deal with issues such
as ramping. At the same time, I have said that we have expanded beds in other
places, such as Rockingham and Joondalup, to ease the pressure. It is true that
those beds are now available. I think the number was just over 100 when we did
the opening just a few weeks ago. As part of the budget, we need to make sure
that not only do we have the funds to run the health system, but also they are
put in the right place so that it allows that opportunity.
Mr R.H. Cook : But your suggestion was
that you would if you could.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, and I will. I am just about to explain that I will be opening beds at
Joondalup. We have growth across the whole system, and although we have
inflationary growth, we also have demand growth, so some of those hospitals
that are not able to expand and cater for that demand will get the inflationary
growth of the cost of running their service. But we will be able to put
together funds which are in excess of that and which are there to cater for
demand in those hospitals where we have the capacity to cater for demand, and
Joondalup is one of those. We are going through that final process now of
working out exactly how many of those beds we have the funding to open. It will
be a significant proportion—probably not all, but certainly a
significant proportion.
Of course, that only helps to deal with Joondalup. As we
know, Joondalup has had a massive increase in demand. From the day we opened
that hospital, the demand went up 18 per cent. It has now settled down to
something like 11 per cent. That region is an area that I have been talking to
the federal minister about to have it described as an area of district
workforce shortage, which allows us to attract overseas doctors, because that region
is significantly short of general practitioners per head of population. People
who cannot get in to see a GP tend to either go to the hospital or delay
treatment, and their treatment is then much more complicated. But, as the
member said, there is an opportunity for us to help take that pressure off.
presence at the back of the chamber of some fantastic young students from south
Mandurah primary school, and their teacher. Welcome. We enjoyed a great lunch.
(1)–(2)
I have said those words in the past: until Fiona Stanley Hospital opens and we
get those additional beds, it will be very difficult to deal with issues such
as ramping. At the same time, I have said that we have expanded beds in other
places, such as Rockingham and Joondalup, to ease the pressure. It is true that
those beds are now available. I think the number was just over 100 when we did
the opening just a few weeks ago. As part of the budget, we need to make sure
that not only do we have the funds to run the health system, but also they are
put in the right place so that it allows that opportunity.
Mr R.H. Cook : But your suggestion was
that you would if you could.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, and I will. I am just about to explain that I will be opening beds at
Joondalup. We have growth across the whole system, and although we have
inflationary growth, we also have demand growth, so some of those hospitals
that are not able to expand and cater for that demand will get the inflationary
growth of the cost of running their service. But we will be able to put
together funds which are in excess of that and which are there to cater for
demand in those hospitals where we have the capacity to cater for demand, and
Joondalup is one of those. We are going through that final process now of
working out exactly how many of those beds we have the funding to open. It will
be a significant proportion—probably not all, but certainly a
significant proportion.
Of course, that only helps to deal with Joondalup. As we
know, Joondalup has had a massive increase in demand. From the day we opened
that hospital, the demand went up 18 per cent. It has now settled down to
something like 11 per cent. That region is an area that I have been talking to
the federal minister about to have it described as an area of district
workforce shortage, which allows us to attract overseas doctors, because that region
is significantly short of general practitioners per head of population. People
who cannot get in to see a GP tend to either go to the hospital or delay
treatment, and their treatment is then much more complicated. But, as the
member said, there is an opportunity for us to help take that pressure off.
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