URGENT CARE CLINICS
356. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
Plenty of notice has been given of
this question.
I refer to Legislative Council
question without notice 1495 on the government's urgent care clinics.
(1) Has the minister received the quarterly
utilisation report on the network; and, if so, will he table the report?
(2) If no to
(1), when does the minister expect to receive the report and will he commit to
tabling the report once received?
(3) What is the status of implementing regional urgent
care clinics, particularly in light of increasing healthcare demand
arising from COVID-19?
(4) Recognising
that Geraldton has the second busiest emergency department outside of Perth,
when can this city expect the government's election commitment to be
honoured?
Hon ALANNA CLOHESY
replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question. I note that this question was lodged on Thursday, 19 March 2020. The
information contained in the answer is accurate as of that date.
(1) No.
(2) The report
is expected in the second quarter of 2020. A progress report will be made
available publicly.
(3)–(4)
Planning and local consultation continues for expansion of the statewide urgent
care clinic initiative into regional areas, and fit-for-purpose models for
addressing local urgent primary care needs are being considered for
implementation by the end of 2020. Coordinated planning efforts across the
Department of Health and the wider health system are continuing as part of the
state's response to the COVID-19 epidemic.