Page 2828 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 14 August 2018
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There could not be a more literal example of how our budget investments are supporting our growing population than our investments to expand maternity and birthing facilities. Our budget provides extra spaces for maternity services at the Centenary hospital which, of course, has been complemented by the recent upgrades to the maternity ward at Calvary Public Hospital. Along with the funding in the budget this provides women with more choice for maternity services as our city grows.
Our previous budget investments of $2.6 million to refurbish the Calvary maternity ward have delivered a more modern facility with a capacity expanded to 18 beds, as well as offering 10 single rooms and four large twin rooms. Comfort has been improved with an intimate patient and family lounge and a spacious baby assessment room as well as facilities for partners who want to stay at the hospital.
As we continue to progress work on an expanded maternity services ward at the Centenary women’s and children hospital this budget delivers investment in quality modern and accessible maternity and birthing facilities to more families across Canberra.
The new health measures in the budget build on the capital investments we are already making to expand the Canberra Hospital, investing in further work on the surgical procedures, interventional radiology and emergency centre that were funded in last year’s budget. The SPIRE centre is a great opportunity to deliver modern health facilities in Canberra, including more operating theatres and a new emergency department in the forward years.
Of course, not all acute care is provided in a hospital setting. The budget also invests further in our hospital in the home service to cater for up to 3,000 more patients each year so they can get back to their lives and be cared for in their own homes and through community health centres where it is clinically appropriate. Of course, they will be supported by hospitals.
In this budget we are also investing in the information architecture to support a modern health system. The government is providing $12 million in the budget over the forward estimates for information system upgrades for pathology laboratory services at the Canberra Hospital and an additional $13.5 million in information and communication technology for ACT Health centred around the Canberra Hospital.
This $27.5 million package of technology upgrades will not just streamline and improve administrative efficiency at the Canberra Hospital and ACT Health but also help to free up resources so we can focus on delivering quality health care to patients.
For the healthcare consumer primary health services need to be convenient and affordable. Nurse-led walk-in centres just make sense; they provide choice of a free service to provide clinical advice, treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, and even some prescriptions. It is no wonder our nurse-led walk-in centres in the ACT are so popular in the community. That popularity can be harnessed to help divert patients to the most appropriate health care before the need to book into see a general practitioner or even attend our emergency departments.
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