Page 2706 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 June 2012
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MR HANSON: A supplementary, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Given the record numbers of people that presented to the emergency department during the warmer months of this year, what action are you taking to ensure that people are not waiting longer than ever over the coming winter months?
MS GALLAGHER: As there is every year, there is a winter management plan put in place, not just to manage the emergency department. Mr Hanson fails to understand that there are other areas that the health system impacted during the winter months and there is a comprehensive winter management plan that is adopted across all of our health services.
MR HARGREAVES: Supplementary question, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hargreaves.
MR HARGREAVES: Chief Minister and Minister for Health, have you received letters of congratulation on the treatment that people have received in the emergency department, particularly in relation to heart issues in recent times?
MS GALLAGHER: As Minister for Health I receive a lot of correspondence. It might surprise those opposite but a number of that correspondence relates to compliments about the standard of care that has been provided in our public hospital setting—indeed, in the emergency department as well, where lives are saved every day.
As I said earlier in the debate in the Assembly, the emergency department is for emergency treatment. In terms of category 1 and 2 patients, our results are outstanding. Where there are waits, it is happening in categories 3 and 4, and we are seeing very significant increases in categories 4 and 5. Almost 60 per cent of presentations to the emergency department fall in those categories.
So, yes, I get a number of compliments about the emergency department care at both of the public hospitals. Our staff do an incredible job there in very difficult circumstances. The money outlined in the budget tabled yesterday will improve, and provide additional resources to, the emergency department. Contrary to what Mr Hanson has alleged, that this is last-minute money that is thrown at a problem, over the course of this government we have provided an extra 55 treatment spaces in the emergency department to deal with demand. So this is something that we have been doing every year.
In addition to that, we have provided 256 extra beds, half of those to replace the ones that Mr Smyth took out and the other ones are additional capacity. Again in the budget tabled yesterday, we have another 40 beds going into the system. This is year-on-year growth to deal with the demand. It is transforming the health service into a modern health service that provides outstanding care to the Canberra community.
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