❓ A Western Australian parliamentary question seeks detailed information on hydrotherapy services in public hospitals, including on-site and off-site facilities, costs, revenue, patient access, and future provisions in hospitals under construction. The answer provides specific data for some hospitals but notes limitations in data collection and reporting for others.
AnsweredQoN 3562Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) I refer to all public hospitals in Western Australia (including those public hospitals operated by private providers such as Joondalup Health Campus) and ask:
(a) which hospitals have on-site hydrotherapy pool facilities;
(b) which hospitals have off-site hydrotherapy facilities which they refer public patients to;
(c) of those hospitals with on-site hydrotherapy pools, are any of them currently closed or no longer referring patients there;
(d) of those with on-site facilities, is a fee charged to public patients to use the hydrotherapy facility, if so, how much e.g. per session;
(e) of those with on-site hydrotherapy pools, which hospitals are gaining income/revenue generated by charging other external community user groups (e.g. both profit and not for profit) to use the pool:
(i) which other external user groups are presently using the hydrotherapy pool (list groups for each facility); and
(ii) how much total revenue/income was gained in the last financial year from external community user groups using the hydrotherapy pool (listed by facility);
(f) of those hospitals where patients are referred to hydrotherapy off-site, what is the fee patients pay to use the off-site facility e.g. per session;
(g) of those with on-site facilities, what was the recurrent cost associated with running the hydrotherapy pool, per facility during the last financial year;
(h) of all of those with on-site facilities, how many patients (total) accessed hydrotherapy services during the last financial year (broken down by number of patients per facility); and
(i) what is the eligibility criteria and referral process for hydrotherapy at each hospital?
(2) Which new public hospitals (including those intended to be operated by private providers like Midland Health Campus) currently under construction will have hydrotherapy facilities?
(3) Of those hospitals under construction with incorporated hydrotherapy into the design, what is the infrastructure cost of the hydrotherapy pool at that facility?
(a) which hospitals have on-site hydrotherapy pool facilities;
(b) which hospitals have off-site hydrotherapy facilities which they refer public patients to;
(c) of those hospitals with on-site hydrotherapy pools, are any of them currently closed or no longer referring patients there;
(d) of those with on-site facilities, is a fee charged to public patients to use the hydrotherapy facility, if so, how much e.g. per session;
(e) of those with on-site hydrotherapy pools, which hospitals are gaining income/revenue generated by charging other external community user groups (e.g. both profit and not for profit) to use the pool:
(i) which other external user groups are presently using the hydrotherapy pool (list groups for each facility); and
(ii) how much total revenue/income was gained in the last financial year from external community user groups using the hydrotherapy pool (listed by facility);
(f) of those hospitals where patients are referred to hydrotherapy off-site, what is the fee patients pay to use the off-site facility e.g. per session;
(g) of those with on-site facilities, what was the recurrent cost associated with running the hydrotherapy pool, per facility during the last financial year;
(h) of all of those with on-site facilities, how many patients (total) accessed hydrotherapy services during the last financial year (broken down by number of patients per facility); and
(i) what is the eligibility criteria and referral process for hydrotherapy at each hospital?
(2) Which new public hospitals (including those intended to be operated by private providers like Midland Health Campus) currently under construction will have hydrotherapy facilities?
(3) Of those hospitals under construction with incorporated hydrotherapy into the design, what is the infrastructure cost of the hydrotherapy pool at that facility?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
21 April 2015
Responded by
Minister for Health
Response time
62 days
Hospital (i) (ii) AHC WA Arthritis; Community Living Association; Albany Community Care; Spencer Park Ed Support School (no charge); Sheils Family Practice; Torbay Physiotherapy Practice; and Albany Child Physio services. $8,820.00 SCGH Curtin University. $7973.00 (f) Hospital Fee charged RkPG $4.00 - $5.50 per session. AHS Adult - $6.00 per session. Concession - $5.00 per session. Child; $4.50 per session. BHS $8.00 per session. Geraldton Hospital Adult - $6.20 per session. Pensioner - $3.35 per session. Bruce Rock Memorial Hospital $8.00 maximum per session. Merredin Hospital $7.00 maximum per session. Corrigin Hospital $5.00 maximum per session. SJoGBH $3.00 per session. Regarding patients referred to CPS by Kalamunda Hospital and Swan District Hospital, CPS runs classes at Swan Park Leisure Centre and Bayswater waves. CPS do not charge fees for these classes, however the patient pays the pool administration charge at the facility. Patients are able to access concession rates (such as senior rates) if they are eligible. (g) The recurrent cost associated with running hydrotherapy pools per facility during the last financial year is as follows: FHHS: Approximately $101,102 per annum, which includes maintenance and staffing costs. FSH: Not applicable as FSH was not operational last financial year. AHC: $71,170. PMH: $63,039. JHC: WA Health is unable to comment as JHC does not report the costs associated with running services such as hydrotherapy pools. SCGH: Approximately $110,500 per annum, which includes staffing costs and consumables. (h) FHHS: Data is only captured for occasions of service, not total numbers of patients. For the last financial year there were a total of 4218 occasions of service. FSH: Not applicable as FSH was not operational last financial year. AHC: Data is only captured for occasions of service, not total numbers of patients. For the last financial year there were a total of 780 public patient occasions of service. PMH: 119 patients. JHC: 678 patients. SCGH: 34 patients. (i) FHHS: Access is only via a clinical referral, including referrals from GPs and other health services. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention, with all patients being assessed against a checklist. Access to the facility is conditional on documentation within the patient record that reflects a defined program and date for review. FSH: Any patient that is assessed by the clinical treating team as requiring specialist hydrotherapy as part of their physiotherapy rehabilitation can be referred and can be referred either as an inpatient or outpatient. AHC: Referrals to the hydrotherapy pool by AHC can be provided from hospital wards, GPs or other health service providers. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention. Primarily treatment is for orthopaedic treatment post-surgery, chronic pain, mobility issues, and falls. Referrals to the hydrotherapy pool by Population Health can be provided from GPs, community health providers, and through self-referral. All referrals are assessed for hydrotherapy suitability. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention, and treatment is available for paediatric patients with disability/developmental delay, or community adults for falls, mobility issues, and deconditioning. PMH: The PMH hydrotherapy facility eligibility criteria applies to children who are under the care of a Child and Adolescent Health Service physiotherapist; who can only be managed/access intervention in an aquatic environment; and whose outcomes will be improved by the addition of aquatic physiotherapy. JHC: Patients are eligible if assessed as safe/suitable for hydrotherapy either during admission to JHC and/or following referral by a specialist on discharge from JHC or a public hospital. SCGH: SCGH is only able to accept patients referred to the service from SCGH medical staff. No patients are ever referred specifically for hydrotherapy alone as it is one of many modalities that may be used by physiotherapists to treat their patients. (2) The new Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) and Midland Public Hospital will have hydrotherapy facilities. (3) The tendered cost to design, install and supply the PCH hydrotherapy pool is $1,275,600. The infrastructure cost for the Midland Public Hospital pool is $1,446,127.
Hospital Fee charged RkPG $4.00 - $5.50 per session. AHS Adult - $6.00 per session. Concession - $5.00 per session. Child; $4.50 per session. BHS $8.00 per session. Geraldton Hospital Adult - $6.20 per session. Pensioner - $3.35 per session. Bruce Rock Memorial Hospital $8.00 maximum per session. Merredin Hospital $7.00 maximum per session. Corrigin Hospital $5.00 maximum per session. SJoGBH $3.00 per session. Regarding patients referred to CPS by Kalamunda Hospital and Swan District Hospital, CPS runs classes at Swan Park Leisure Centre and Bayswater waves. CPS do not charge fees for these classes, however the patient pays the pool administration charge at the facility. Patients are able to access concession rates (such as senior rates) if they are eligible. (g) The recurrent cost associated with running hydrotherapy pools per facility during the last financial year is as follows: FHHS: Approximately $101,102 per annum, which includes maintenance and staffing costs. FSH: Not applicable as FSH was not operational last financial year. AHC: $71,170. PMH: $63,039. JHC: WA Health is unable to comment as JHC does not report the costs associated with running services such as hydrotherapy pools. SCGH: Approximately $110,500 per annum, which includes staffing costs and consumables. (h) FHHS: Data is only captured for occasions of service, not total numbers of patients. For the last financial year there were a total of 4218 occasions of service. FSH: Not applicable as FSH was not operational last financial year. AHC: Data is only captured for occasions of service, not total numbers of patients. For the last financial year there were a total of 780 public patient occasions of service. PMH: 119 patients. JHC: 678 patients. SCGH: 34 patients. (i) FHHS: Access is only via a clinical referral, including referrals from GPs and other health services. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention, with all patients being assessed against a checklist. Access to the facility is conditional on documentation within the patient record that reflects a defined program and date for review. FSH: Any patient that is assessed by the clinical treating team as requiring specialist hydrotherapy as part of their physiotherapy rehabilitation can be referred and can be referred either as an inpatient or outpatient. AHC: Referrals to the hydrotherapy pool by AHC can be provided from hospital wards, GPs or other health service providers. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention. Primarily treatment is for orthopaedic treatment post-surgery, chronic pain, mobility issues, and falls. Referrals to the hydrotherapy pool by Population Health can be provided from GPs, community health providers, and through self-referral. All referrals are assessed for hydrotherapy suitability. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention, and treatment is available for paediatric patients with disability/developmental delay, or community adults for falls, mobility issues, and deconditioning. PMH: The PMH hydrotherapy facility eligibility criteria applies to children who are under the care of a Child and Adolescent Health Service physiotherapist; who can only be managed/access intervention in an aquatic environment; and whose outcomes will be improved by the addition of aquatic physiotherapy. JHC: Patients are eligible if assessed as safe/suitable for hydrotherapy either during admission to JHC and/or following referral by a specialist on discharge from JHC or a public hospital. SCGH: SCGH is only able to accept patients referred to the service from SCGH medical staff. No patients are ever referred specifically for hydrotherapy alone as it is one of many modalities that may be used by physiotherapists to treat their patients. (2) The new Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) and Midland Public Hospital will have hydrotherapy facilities. (3) The tendered cost to design, install and supply the PCH hydrotherapy pool is $1,275,600. The infrastructure cost for the Midland Public Hospital pool is $1,446,127.
Hospital Fee charged RkPG $4.00 - $5.50 per session. AHS Adult - $6.00 per session. Concession - $5.00 per session. Child; $4.50 per session. BHS $8.00 per session. Geraldton Hospital Adult - $6.20 per session. Pensioner - $3.35 per session. Bruce Rock Memorial Hospital $8.00 maximum per session. Merredin Hospital $7.00 maximum per session. Corrigin Hospital $5.00 maximum per session. SJoGBH $3.00 per session. Regarding patients referred to CPS by Kalamunda Hospital and Swan District Hospital, CPS runs classes at Swan Park Leisure Centre and Bayswater waves. CPS do not charge fees for these classes, however the patient pays the pool administration charge at the facility. Patients are able to access concession rates (such as senior rates) if they are eligible. (g) The recurrent cost associated with running hydrotherapy pools per facility during the last financial year is as follows: FHHS: Approximately $101,102 per annum, which includes maintenance and staffing costs. FSH: Not applicable as FSH was not operational last financial year. AHC: $71,170. PMH: $63,039. JHC: WA Health is unable to comment as JHC does not report the costs associated with running services such as hydrotherapy pools. SCGH: Approximately $110,500 per annum, which includes staffing costs and consumables. (h) FHHS: Data is only captured for occasions of service, not total numbers of patients. For the last financial year there were a total of 4218 occasions of service. FSH: Not applicable as FSH was not operational last financial year. AHC: Data is only captured for occasions of service, not total numbers of patients. For the last financial year there were a total of 780 public patient occasions of service. PMH: 119 patients. JHC: 678 patients. SCGH: 34 patients. (i) FHHS: Access is only via a clinical referral, including referrals from GPs and other health services. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention, with all patients being assessed against a checklist. Access to the facility is conditional on documentation within the patient record that reflects a defined program and date for review. FSH: Any patient that is assessed by the clinical treating team as requiring specialist hydrotherapy as part of their physiotherapy rehabilitation can be referred and can be referred either as an inpatient or outpatient. AHC: Referrals to the hydrotherapy pool by AHC can be provided from hospital wards, GPs or other health service providers. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention. Primarily treatment is for orthopaedic treatment post-surgery, chronic pain, mobility issues, and falls. Referrals to the hydrotherapy pool by Population Health can be provided from GPs, community health providers, and through self-referral. All referrals are assessed for hydrotherapy suitability. Referral is subject to a clinical evaluation by a physiotherapist. This includes evaluation of the clinical objectives, patient safety and effectiveness of the intervention, and treatment is available for paediatric patients with disability/developmental delay, or community adults for falls, mobility issues, and deconditioning. PMH: The PMH hydrotherapy facility eligibility criteria applies to children who are under the care of a Child and Adolescent Health Service physiotherapist; who can only be managed/access intervention in an aquatic environment; and whose outcomes will be improved by the addition of aquatic physiotherapy. JHC: Patients are eligible if assessed as safe/suitable for hydrotherapy either during admission to JHC and/or following referral by a specialist on discharge from JHC or a public hospital. SCGH: SCGH is only able to accept patients referred to the service from SCGH medical staff. No patients are ever referred specifically for hydrotherapy alone as it is one of many modalities that may be used by physiotherapists to treat their patients. (2) The new Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) and Midland Public Hospital will have hydrotherapy facilities. (3) The tendered cost to design, install and supply the PCH hydrotherapy pool is $1,275,600. The infrastructure cost for the Midland Public Hospital pool is $1,446,127.
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