Page 4637 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 27 November 2019
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MADAM SPEAKER: Colleagues, Mr Milligan has the call.
Mental health—patient services
MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. I refer to your ministerial statement of 26 November related to mental health issues. Minister, in 2018-19, why did patients face an 11-hour wait for a bed in the mental health unit?
MR RATTENBURY: I thank Mr Milligan for an opportunity to focus on this matter again. As I outlined in my statement the other day, we have seen a significant increase in emergency presentations at the Canberra Hospital, a 137 per cent increase since 2014-15, which is an extraordinary rate of increase. This has certainly put some pressure on the system. But, as I outlined in my statement, despite those increases in presentations, we have, in recent times, been able to reduce the amount of waiting time that people are facing. Much of that time Mr Milligan refers to is actually what is known as bed block: people have arrived at emergency; they have been assessed; and they are simply waiting for an admission. I want to continue to bring those times down, but those times are coming down. I outlined in my statement some of the measures that have been put place to achieve that improvement. I thank the staff of Canberra Health Services for their diligent work in that space to bring those waiting times down.
MR MILLIGAN: Minister, why has the government allowed the situation to develop where there is such a high level of bed block for patients with mental health issues?
MR RATTENBURY: As Mr Milligan has now heard twice, we have had a 137 per cent increase in presentations since 2014-15. This is an extraordinary increase that has been difficult to keep up with but strategies have been put in place to help bring those waiting times down.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, during 2018-19 what contribution did high levels of mental health bed block make to long wait times in the emergency department?
MR RATTENBURY: I will have to take the detail of that on notice.
Hospitals—emergency department data
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, the quarterly performance report is due by Saturday. Have you received the latest data related to emergency department treatment and what proportion of people who presented to our emergency departments last quarter were seen on time?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Hanson for the question. I have to clarify one of my earlier answers but I will get to Mr Hanson’s question.
I think I stated that I had made a statement yesterday; it was 26 September. I got confused by the fact that it was the 26th that had been referred to in an earlier question.
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