Page 4527 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 26 November 2019
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Given that these recommendations and resolutions cover similar topics, for the convenience of members I am responding to these recommendations and resolutions in this single ministerial statement. The non health infrastructure aspects of the resolutions I just mentioned, such as reporting on the 2019 flu season, will be dealt with separately to this statement today.
Madam Speaker, demand for health care in the territory is growing rapidly and this growth is forecast to continue. This is not unique to the territory. Right around the world, and certainly in other Australian jurisdictions, the demand for health services is increasing. As noted in the ACT government’s infrastructure plan issued last month, between 2017-18 and 2031-32 public hospital admissions are expected to increase by 53 per cent and overnight stays by 52 per cent.
Over the past decade the ACT Labor government has invested more than $1 billion in the territory’s health infrastructure to ensure that Canberrans continue to have access to world-class care where and when they need it. We have opened a new hospital at the University of Canberra and we are about to open the fourth nurse-led walk-in centre in a network of five centres we are committed to delivering by the end of 2020.
We built the Canberra Region Cancer Centre and expanded and upgraded community health centres. As we enter the 2020s, the government is continuing to invest in health care for Canberrans and taking a proactive approach to futureproofing our health system for the years to come. About 20 per cent of the government’s total infrastructure funding goes to health infrastructure and almost one-third of the government’s annual budget is allocated to delivering healthcare services.
This demonstrates the government’s commitment to responding to our growing community’s needs for high quality free health care. Whether you are having a baby, seriously injured in an accident, experiencing chronic ill health, or need treatment for minor injuries and illness, we are building a health system that delivers the right care at the right time and in the right place.
Madam Speaker, within the ACT government, Canberra Health Services, the ACT Health Directorate and Major Projects Canberra are collaborating closely on planning and procuring the territory’s largest investment in health infrastructure since self-government, the SPIRE project. SPIRE will deliver a new state-of-the-art emergency, surgical and critical care facility at Canberra Hospital, providing high quality, person-centred care in an environment that incorporates the latest advances in technology and models of care to improve healthcare outcomes and operational efficiency.
SPIRE will ensure that the acute care needs of our region’s growing and ageing population are met today and into the future, and will form the anchor-point for future Canberra Hospital campus developments. The SPIRE project will deliver 148 inpatient beds, including 60 intensive care unit beds and 24 coronary care unit beds; 22 operating theatres; 114 emergency treatment spaces; 55 day surgery beds; integrated radiology and medical imaging facilities; and patient, carer and staff spaces for respite, learning and meeting.
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