ST JOHN AMBULANCE —
SERVICE DELIVERY
355. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer the minister to a report in
yesterday's online edition of The West Australian noting the
unprecedented warning of ambulance delays issued by St John Ambulance WA.
(1) Were either the minister or her
department consulted before this warning was issued?
(2) What plans,
if any, does the government have to tackle an issue that threatens, to
paraphrase the article in The West Australian, to push our state's
health system to breaking point?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The minister's
office and the department were informed of St John Ambulance's decision
to issue a warning shortly before it was distributed.
(2) The Premier
and Minister for Health recently announced 17 measures to address ambulance
ramping as part of a $252 million budget package. These reforms include —
(a) $74.1 million
to secure more appropriate forms of care for long-stay hospital patients;
(b) $55.2 million
for telehealth services, which provide patient care for people who do not need emergency
department support, and reduces emergency department presentations;
(c) the
establishment of a ministerial task force to oversee short and long-term
solutions, such as the establishment of a state health operations command
centre; and
(d) an $18.2
million investment in real-time data capability needed to manage system
pressures and improve the flow of patients through emergency departments.
This is on top of existing measures
already being undertaken, such as adding 530 beds to the hospital system, the
construction of mental health transition units and record funding into our
health and mental health systems.