❓ Opposition questions the Premier about a prior statement regarding ambulance bypasses, citing a significant increase. The Premier responds by outlining government actions to address hospital pressures, including upgrades, bed increases, and advocating for federal support.
AnsweredQoN 506Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the Premier to his campaign launch speech on 4 February 2001, when he said, “I call (ambulance bypass) crisis management. I call it a disgrace.” (1) Does the Premier still believe that ambulance bypass is a disgrace? (2) If so, how would the Premier describe an audited 84 per cent increase based on the latest Department of Health figures in the 2002 calendar year compared with 2001? These figures are based on ambulance bypass times and not numbers; the numbers are actually higher than that. It is a massive increase. Dr G.I. GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
(1) Does the Premier still believe that ambulance bypass is a disgrace? (2) If so, how would the Premier describe an audited 84 per cent increase based on the latest Department of Health figures in the 2002 calendar year compared with 2001? These figures are based on ambulance bypass times and not numbers; the numbers are actually higher than that. It is a massive increase. Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
(2) If so, how would the Premier describe an audited 84 per cent increase based on the latest Department of Health figures in the 2002 calendar year compared with 2001? These figures are based on ambulance bypass times and not numbers; the numbers are actually higher than that. It is a massive increase. Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
(1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
(1) Does the Premier still believe that ambulance bypass is a disgrace? (2) If so, how would the Premier describe an audited 84 per cent increase based on the latest Department of Health figures in the 2002 calendar year compared with 2001? These figures are based on ambulance bypass times and not numbers; the numbers are actually higher than that. It is a massive increase. Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
(2) If so, how would the Premier describe an audited 84 per cent increase based on the latest Department of Health figures in the 2002 calendar year compared with 2001? These figures are based on ambulance bypass times and not numbers; the numbers are actually higher than that. It is a massive increase. Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
(1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia is very concerned about the pressures on the public hospital system, and from time to time those pressures manifest themselves with what we call ambulance bypasses. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to hear my answer? Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to hear honesty. Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: Let us get a bit of honesty into the debate. I will spell out the issues concerning our public hospitals and ambulance bypasses. First, the emergency departments in the Western Australian public hospital system have been left to run down and have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Following a budget commitment this Government has made, it will upgrade those emergency departments and also extend their capacity. My second point relates to the presentations that are made to our emergency departments. As you know, Mr Speaker, in Western Australia there is enormous pressure on our public hospitals brought about by, amongst other things, the shortage of general practitioners and the decline in bulk billing in our health system. The rate of decline in bulk billing is becoming serious. We estimate we are short of GPs in Western Australia to the tune of 300. That means that in some cases the citizens of Western Australia are turning up at emergency departments when they would be better dealt with in general practitioner clinics. Evidence for this is available from the report released by the Fremantle Hospital which referred to a figure of 10 to 14 per cent. At the Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital that percentage is much higher. The first point is that the capacity of people to present themselves has been undermined by the failure to do a capital upgrade, and this Government is remedying that situation. The second point is that many people are presenting at the emergency departments who should not be. Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Thirdly, when people go through the emergency department they must be located in beds. We have increased the number of beds available in our public hospital system. We have entered into arrangements with aged care providers in the non-government sector to improve access to beds so that we can increase the rate at which elderly people move back into the nursing homes and aged care facilities; but, like the Minister for Health, I have been visiting our hospitals in recent days and the proportion of elderly people in our wards is enormous. The hospitals are frustrated because there are not enough beds available for those people, as part of their rehabilitation care, before they go back into their nursing homes. I raised this issue when I defended Mt Henry Health Service; I said it would happen and it is happening. There are simply not enough nursing home beds in the first place. I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
I go back to the election. The Leader of the Opposition thinks the more extreme the language he uses the more effective it will be. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: We said we would fix the health system. That is what we are doing. We have done the capital upgrades to the emergency departments. We have made arrangements with the non-government sector to improve the availability of beds. We will continue to campaign at a federal level to get a fairer deal for WA to deal with some of those issues I have referred to. There is a solution, and we are doing what we can to bring about that solution. The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
The other part of the solution requires support from the Commonwealth - Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: We took five minutes but we got there! The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
The SPEAKER: Leader of the National Party! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Australian system of government has State Governments and a Commonwealth Government. Our aged and health care systems involve the Commonwealth and State Governments. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
The SPEAKER: Members! Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
Dr G.I. GALLOP: The Opposition can continue to argue in the health area on the basis of assumptions that are not analytical or based on the reality of our system. We, on the other hand, have a solution based upon a long-term strategy in the State and an absolutely clear strategy about what the Commonwealth needs to do to back us up rather than undermine everything we are doing.
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