ALBANY
HEALTH CAMPUS — BED CAPACITY
813. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I recognise the ongoing concerns around the Albany Health
Campus, and the community forum held last week, attended by more than 100 concerned
residents, including current and former Health staff.
(1) Can the minister please confirm that no hospital
bed was available in the great southern region last Thursday, as stated
by the Mayor of Albany?
(2) Why has
the minister not specified any additional beds for Albany Health Campus in
either the state budget or his eleventh-hour attempt to better prepare our
health system for COVID?
Mr R.H. COOK replied:
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question, tawdry though it is. It is not surprising
that we saw the member for Vasse and other members of Parliament drag their ''sad
and sorrys'' down to Albany last week to try to stir up trouble at
Albany Health Campus. The fact of the matter is —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for North
West Central!
Mr R.H. COOK: The fact of the
matter is, Madam Speaker, that all hospitals in our country health service,
indeed across the network, are challenged at the moment. They are challenged
because we live in difficult COVID times, and
that has put pressure on the relationships and the beds, and continues to be a challenge
for all of us. I spoke to the chair of the WA Country Health Service
today. It is undertaking a range of activities to make sure that it can continue to support staff working across all
campuses and, of course, Albany is an important one of those campuses.
To the issue of the allegations from
the mayor on the eighteenth, I think the quote goes, ''Not a single bed
was available at AHC, Plantagenet or Denmark.'' That was, unfortunately,
like the member Vasse is so often, entirely wrong.
Albany Health Campus was at capacity on the eighteenth, but it still had beds
available to take another five patients. Denmark Hospital and Health
Service had a bed available and Plantagenet Cranbrook Health Service had four beds
available. It is just simply not true. What is also not true is the allegations
—
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for North
West Central, you have not asked this question, and I am guessing you are not
going to be asking a question at this rate.
Mr R.H. COOK: What is also
not true are the allegations by the member for Vasse around ambulance ramping at Albany Health Campus. Apparently at this
community meeting she claimed that it was skyrocketing. Ramping at
Albany Health Campus in November was a total of 36 minutes, so 0.6 of an hour.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for
Vasse, the question is being answered.
Mr R.H. COOK: In contrast,
Madam Speaker, in November 2016—the last year in which the Liberal
government was in power—it was over 80 minutes. It has actually reduced
since Labor came into power. All these facts elude the member for Vasse and the
Liberal opposition, because as we know they are not interested in facts. This
is the same disregard for facts that they
have around vaccines, and it is the same disregard for support in our health
system that they have right across the healthcare system overall. At the
end of the day, I think the one piece of advice that everyone should heed is
that you just do not believe the Liberal Party or the member for Vasse when it
comes to any issues on health.