Brett Raguse (Forde, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. What are the government’s plans to improve access to hospital services, and how is the government already committing to delivery of services to families in electorates like Forde?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I particularly thank the member for Forde for that question. Of course, we have already heard from the Prime Minister about the historic COAG deal that was reached on 20 April. But the important backing-in of that agreement is made by the question asked by the member for Forde, because his electorate, which includes Logan Hospital, has already received $44 million to upgrade its emergency department. It is one of the busiest hospitals in Queensland. This comes from the $750 million that was already committed to taking pressure off emergency departments from the 2008 COAG agreement. Thirty-seven hospitals across the country are receiving upgrades. Many of them are already in fact operating. Royal Darwin Hospital, for example, is expanding its emergency department with a $2.3 million upgrade. New medical assessment units have already opened across New South Wales in hospitals, including the Calvary Mater in Newcastle and in Mona Vale and Liverpool.

What we see with the recent agreement is a $750 million additional investment in emergency departments to bring about our commitment that patients be seen, admitted or discharged within four hours—a new first-time target for the nation in emergency departments. We can look across the spectrum for this. We can look at our new investments in elective surgery—$800 million extra, as the Prime Minister mentioned, with a new guarantee to provide elective surgeries within the clinically recommended time. But of course we already had made a $600 million investment in elective surgery, which has already provided 62,000 additional elective surgeries, and more than 120 hospitals across the country have received new equipment or upgrades. Patients are already enjoying the benefits of this investment in hospitals such as Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Frankston Hospital and Canberra Hospital.

In fact, I am disappointed that the member for Dunkley is not here, because I was fortunate to be able to visit Frankston Hospital in just the last few weeks. They already have a new, dedicated elective surgery ward which is assisting them to deal with their throughput and the growing demand for elective surgery. I was told by the director of elective surgery at Frankston Hospital that since our investment was made and they opened that ward they have not had to cancel one elective surgery operation. This is a really important achievement for the people of Frankston, and this is going to be replicated across the country.

So we are very proud that the additional significant investments that will deliver for patients across the country are building on significant investments that have already been made and that are rolling out across the country. But what you can see from the new investment is not just the guarantee for elective surgery. It is not just the new access targets for emergency departments. It is more than 1,300 new subacute beds across the country. Our investments are going to support over a million extra emergency department services and more than 90,000 extra elective surgeries and will deliver an estimated 24,900 services just through the additional subacute beds. This is a lot of people. It is a lot of families. It is a lot of relief for people who are in pain and, often, suffering. We would invite those opposite to start representing their constituents. Encourage people—the member for Dunkley, I am sure, will be doing this about Frankston Hospital—to support these important investments that are delivering for patients across the country.