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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 567 asked in the Legislative Council on 23 February 2022 by Hon Martin Aldridge

Question Directed to the: Leader of the House representing the Minister for Health
Parliament: 41 Session: 1


Question

I refer to comments from WA Country Health Service to ABC Mid-West and Wheatbelt on 20 January that critically ill COVID-19 patients in regional Western Australia would be sent to Perth for treatment, and I ask:
(a) how many regional Western Australians are anticipated to require transport to Perth as a result of COVID-19;
(b) if the Royal Flying Doctor Service or St John Ambulance are required to facilitate these transfers, what additional resources is the State Government providing these organisations to ensure they can maintain current service levels;
(c) what specific measures has the State Government undertaken to ensure metropolitan hospitals are properly resourced to manage this influx of patients;
(d) why has the State Government chosen not to properly resource regional hospitals so critically ill patients can receive care close to their homes;
(e) is the State Government considering or has it entered into any agreement or contract with any other organisation to provide inter-hospital patient transport services; and
(f) If yes to (e), please provide details?

Answered on 24 March 2022

(a)   The overwhelming majority of country residents with COVID-19 will be able to remain in their homes or be cared for in country hospitals.

 

(b)  The State has provided non recurrent grants totalling $3.8m to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) to support COVID-19 preparations and service viability.  Additionally, annual contract funding for recurrent patient transport services demand, driven by secondary COVID impacts, provided by RFDS has been increased by 11.1% from 2019-20 to 2021-22. The State has funded St Johns Ambulance to provide more than 26 additional paramedics in country areas over the past two years.

 

(c)   Specific measures undertaken are:

·         Investment in a total of 530 additional beds across the health system supported by the recruitment of 1,375 nurses and midwives and 1,491 doctors (comprising 438 Resident Medical Officers and 629 interns) since January              2021, with an additional 1,200 graduate nurses expected to be employed in 2022.

·         A $2 million local, national and international advertising campaign is underway to recruit more healthcare staff.

·         Additional ventilators to increase intensive care unit (ICU) capacity (to a total of 634 Group 1 ventilators across the system).

·         Developing services to care for COVID-19 patients outside of the hospital setting where suitable and necessary through the COVID Care at Home (CC@H) service, a partnership with Calvary Medibank Solutions.

·         Implementation of the Patient Flow Coordination Centre (PFCC.

·         Ongoing sourcing and distribution strategy for personal protective equipment (PPE)

·         Investing in and strengthening telehealth services to reduce the need for patients to attend outpatient clinics whilst still accessing timely specialist care.

·         Implementation of the System Alert and Response (SAR) which provides overarching, scalable guidance for public hospitals to manage and mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19 transmission.

·         Development of guidelines on high-risk exposure in a workplace setting and health care furlough processes (leave of absence) that applies to WA public sector clinicians, private health providers in hospital settings, general                practices and pharmacies.

 

(d)  Over the course of the pandemic, the State Government has invested almost $50 million into the direct COVID-19 response in the regions, funding the costs of vaccinations, COVID-19 testing, additional PPE for staff and other response and preparedness related costs. These functions have been supported by an estimated 80 staff employed across regional areas.

 

As part of the Government’s $206.8 million investment in 270 new beds to increase system capacity in response to COVID-19, a 30 bed modular ward facility will be delivered at Bunbury Regional Hospital.

 

(e)   The State Government has two contracts for the delivery of inter hospital patient transport services, one for the Perth Metropolitan Area and one for Country Health Services.

 

(f)   The Department of Health (DOH) is currently negotiating with the preferred Service Providers, and due to probity requirements is unable to disclose any further details.