Page 2651 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 8 August 1990
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MINISTER FOR HEALTH, EDUCATION AND THE ARTS
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION
QUESTION NO 195
Mental Health - Costs
(MR BERRY) - Asked the Minister for Health, Education and the Arts upon notice on 7 June 1990:
( 1) What is the cost to the ACT of placing ACT mental health clients in NSW institutions?
(2) Can the Minister provide details of the cost of supplying these services in the ACT?
MR HUMPHRIES - The answer to Mr Berrys question is as follows:-
(1) There is no direct cost to the ACT associated with placing psychiatric patients in NSW psychiatric hospitals. However, the Commonwealth Grants Commission made an allowance for cross border usage in its 3rd Inquiry into ACT Finances. We will again be seeking an allowance in the Commissions 4th ACT Inquiry, which will commence shortly. It should be noted that the number of ACT admissions in New South Wales psychiatric hospitals is exceeded by the number of NSW patients admitted to the psychiatric units of ACT hospitals.
In the 1987/88 financial year NSW residents accounted for 148 of a total of 873 psychiatric inpatient separations from ACT hospitals. This represented some 16$ of ACT Occupied Bed Days, and I am advised that this level of cross border usage is still current.
The new psychiatric unit proposed for Woden Valley Hospital is likely to absorb most of the present ACT transfers to Kenmore Hospital. Advice provided by Kenmore Hospital (Goulburn, NSW) is that in the twelve months to May 1990 15 ACT patients were sent from the ACT to Kenmore, and that 20 ACT residents self-referred in the same period. It is unlikely that any of these were long-term admissions.
In addition, NSW plans to relocate secure psychiatric places from Kenmore Hospital to Queanbeyan in the near future.
(2) Information is not available to accurately calculate the cost of these services in the ACT, as NSW does not currently exchange this with the ACT.
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