Page 2330 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 16 September 1992
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It is also important to recognise that the first area which tends to get cut in any budget cutbacks is public and community health, and we saw some of that yesterday. This is a short-sighted approach because it often leads to increased costs down the line. An adolescent ward is the sort of service which can help save money in the future, and there will certainly be cost savings if the unit is appropriately planned now as an integrated part of the hospital redevelopment program.
Now, Madam Speaker, let us talk about the unit itself. Provision for the unit needs to be made now, while the redevelopment project is going ahead, and not on an ad hoc extension basis later on. Moreover, in contrast with what Mr Berry said on 11 August, it is interesting to note that the adolescent ward working party does, in fact, say that an adolescent ward could be located next to a paediatric ward. I am not sure what Mr Berry was talking about when he suggested to the contrary.
Mr Cornwell: Neither was he.
MRS CARNELL: No, probably not. The most appropriate place for an adolescent ward is in self-contained accommodation, which may or may not be located near a general paediatric ward. It is also important that planning be undertaken now, so that the unit can be linked into the redevelopment project in an integrated and holistic fashion.
Madam Speaker, submissions on this issue have outlined the design needs which an adolescent unit should fulfil. Privacy, accessibility to visiting parents and friends, the need for space to allow for mobility, and the ability to engage in individual pastimes are all important design criteria. Another important aspect is the need to make sure that education is not interrupted. An adolescent unit would need to have space and equipment so that a teacher would be able to visit the young people. Such space would also serve as a quiet area between lesson times.
On the basis of these sorts of considerations, the adolescent unit working party has recommended a unit of 15 to 16 beds. The latest figure on admissions to ACT public hospitals of young people aged between 11 and 19, for the 12 months from July 1991 to June 1992, as Ms Szuty said, was 2,737. I have to admit that I am a bit concerned as to whether a 15- or 16-bed unit is sufficient to meet the needs of Canberra's young people, particularly with our growing population and knowing that that part of our population will grow in the future. Possibly 20 beds would be appropriate.
The working party recommends a ground floor location with access to appropriate school, recreation, medical and counselling facilities. Of course, we are talking about not just the bricks and mortar of the unit itself but also the types of staff an adolescent unit would require. In particular, there is a need for people with appropriate psychiatric qualifications who can deal with conditions, as I have already said, like anorexia and depression, and developmental concerns felt by teenagers.
There is also extensive support for an adolescent ward. The National Health and Medical Research Council, as Ms Szuty said, recommended in 1980 that there be special facilities made available to cope with the needs of adolescents. The AMA supports the project. The ACT branch of the Australian Association for
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