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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 5 Hansard (9 May) . . Page.. 1428 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

A convalescent facility for post-hospital care is something we are all mindful of. It goes to the heart of the funding problems the Canberra Hospital faces. It is also an issue relevant to waiting times, as we all know. The extent to which there is a so-called bed block at the Canberra Hospital is a result of the fact that we have there at all times between 20 and 30 people who do not need acute accommodation or acute care at a particular stage of their hospitalisation or care. They have been through an acute phase and would be more appropriately cared for in a nursing home or some other low-care facility such as a step-down facility, convalescent facility or whatever you want to call it. It is in light of that that the previous government was exploring, as this government has been, options or opportunities for establishing post-hospital convalescent care in the ACT.

One of the issues the previous government commenced an investigation of was, as you indicate, Mr Cornwell, the facility in Chapman. The previous minister, Michael Moore, established a reference group to look at that and other options. In light of a determination to deal with this issues, a decision was also taken at that time to establish on a trial basis, in cooperation with the Commonwealth, an 11-bed facility at Morling Lodge, which targets older people from both Canberra and Calvary hospitals and which was designed to serve a purpose similar to that which is envisaged for a step-down facility. Morling Lodge now has 11 beds devoted to providing restorative care to a range of patients before they return home. It eases for that group of people who need longer to recover from the move from hospital, where they may have had some acute treatment, to home.

Mr Cornwell, it is relevant to the question you asked to also note that the funding used to establish that trial at Morling Lodge was the funding that had been allocated in the previous budget for the establishment of a convalescent facility. Half of the funds that were previously designated for the establishment of such a facility, as you have indicated, were used for the Morling Lodge trial. I think it was $260,000 to $300,000, which left a similar amount in that allocation to further that particular budget next year.

Of course, it cannot be done for that amount of money. It is simply not possible, so I have taken the decision that those funds that were continued-about $200,000-be utilised in individual care packages for older people who would otherwise perhaps have been identified as people for whom a convalescent facility may have been available.

The Department of Health and Community Care is working extremely closely with the community reference group on the Chapman option and a number of other options. In the budget context, on the basis I described before in response to an earlier question, we will be considering, as one of the many things we will be considering, the allocation of sufficient funds for the provision of ongoing services such as those that were envisaged for Chapman but in relation to which other options are also being considered.

MR CORNWELL: I ask a supplementary question. Thank you, Chief Minister. When might a decision on such a convalescent facility be made? I do not expect it next month. Given that many of those who would benefit from such a facility are currently using-you would be aware of this-urgently needed respite care beds in other facilities, can you give me any time scale on when this may come to fruition?

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