Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Minister for Health for visiting the Joondalup Health Campus in my electorate recently to view the hospital's success as a public-private partnership. Together with the member for Pearce, we discussed the critical need for the next stage of the hospital's expansion in order to meet future population growth in our northern suburbs. The hospital's CEO, Kempton Cowan, lead a tour of the campus, accompanied by Deputy CEO Dr Amanda Ling and Operations Executive Manager Kevin Cass-Ryall. A boardroom presentation summarised key elements of the hospital's successful public-private partnership and provided an overview of the hospital's operations and proposed capital expansion plans.

The local population of the cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo, which the hospital services, is growing rapidly. Forecasts indicate that the population in the northern corridor will exceed 550,000 residents by 2036. The need for more funding to expand the hospital's emergency department and provide more inpatient beds, including mental health beds, must be addressed as a priority. Currently the hospital has 716 licensed beds, 12 operating theatres and one of the busiest emergency departments in Australia, with close to 100,000 presentations each year. In 2016-17, the hospital carried out some 32,013 procedures and attended to 3,782 births. The hospital is under significant pressure, particularly over winter periods, and urgently needs an expansion in capacity to meet the specialist medical needs of a growing residential population.

Ramsay Health Care has developed a proposal designed to provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the projected demand. The current expansion plans presented to the health minister include 145 new private beds, an additional 50 beds in the day procedure unit, 90 new public hospital beds, eight new operating theatres, a central plant expansion and more parking facilities. The construction cost for the upgrade is approximately $312 million, of which the Western Australian state government has committed $167 million, leaving a $145 million shortfall.

I strongly make the case in parliament for $145 million in financial assistance from the federal government to support the expansion of the Joondalup Health Campus. Upgrading our regional hospital will predominantly service the health needs of residents from the four neighbouring electorates of Pearce, Moore, Cowan and Stirling. (Time expired)

See this speech in context