Page 2114 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
procedures, well above the 2009-10 outcome of 9,778. I am pleased to report that we are on track to meet this ambitious target.
In 2010-11 we provided a 12 per cent increase in investment to support access to elective surgery. This has resulted in a 24 per cent drop in the number of people who are waiting longer than standard waiting times. Additionally, significant improvement in reducing the amount of long-wait patients has been noted in a number of specialities, including urology, general surgery, plastic surgery, gynaecology and neurosurgery.
At the end of April 2011 our public hospitals reported the lowest number of people with waiting times greater than one year since we began reporting against this measure in 2003. In 2011-12 the government will target further resources to reduce elective surgery waiting times in both public and private sectors by 33 per cent. The 2011-12 budget provides an additional $10.4 million over the next four years to increase access to surgical services to meet the growing demands on the health system. This means that we can undertake 11,000 elective surgery procedures in the 2011-12 financial year, an increase of more than 300 procedures on the current year.
The government will deliver record levels of surgery in 2011-12 and we will reduce waiting times for surgery. We will report against our delivery with the explicit goal of continuing to increase the number of people receiving their surgery within clinically approved time frames.
Additionally, we will undertake a process redesign to improve flow through the emergency department, ensuring that 70 per cent of emergency department presentations are seen within standard waiting times. We will also move ahead on the north side hospital plans, continuing our work with Little Company of Mary Health Care to agree and implement a truly integrated health system for the ACT. Improvements to provide a more integrated health system will be made throughout our health care system, and we will open the next stage of our health infrastructure redevelopment program with Canberra’s new adult mental health inpatient unit and stage 1 of the women’s and children’s hospital.
The ACT government remains committed to achieving an inclusive community where all Canberrans are able to participate in community life and where the people who are most in need receive help and assistance from their government. The ACT does enjoy relatively higher incomes than the national average, and we are generally well equipped to cope with some of the rising cost pressures due to the strength of our local labour market. However, the government is aware that price rises are placing strain on some household budgets and that daily cost pressures are an issue for some ACT households.
The government is cognisant of the fact that price rises on essential goods, services and utilities place a particular strain on the most vulnerable members of our community, including individuals and families who are not employed, people on low incomes and other vulnerable members of the community. To help those who are most in need, the government has taken a proactive stance on the rising cost of energy by providing the most vulnerable Canberrans with an increase in concessions for two years running. Indeed, with the passage of the 2011-12 budget, one of the most
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video