Page 1870 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 7 June 2006
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combination of emergency department, intensive care unit and high dependency unit staff and beds.
This will allow the rapid transfer of critically ill patients to a critical care environment following assessment by the emergency departments, significant trauma and significant life-threatening surgery. This capacity will build on current initiatives aimed at reducing ED access block, improving ED waiting times and reducing the cancellation rate of elective surgery.
An additional $1.8 million has been allocated to provide additional support to the frail, and younger people with a disability, to allow them to remain at home and to prevent their inappropriate or early admission to nursing homes. This initiative will provide additional services to meet the increasing demand for home and community care services in the territory.
The capital region cancer service will receive increases in annual funding to keep pace with developments in diagnostic testing and advances in treatments and to provide supportive care to people and their families who are living with the diagnosis of cancer. The budget has provided $2.1 million over four years for the employment of additional specialist staff, enhanced access to high-cost pharmaceutical treatments, medical oncology and ongoing care options for persons with cancer.
On top of this, ACT Health will move ahead with the commissioning of a third linear accelerator for radiation oncology treatment. This will reduce the need for ACT patients to travel interstate to receive essential cancer care. The amounts of $10.6 million over four years in operating costs and capital of $18.7 million have been set aside in the budget to begin the process to purchase and maintain the new linear accelerator, which should be fully commissioned by 2008. This will lead to dramatic improvements in support for our patients.
The budget has provided more than $8 million to improve the territory’s mental health services, including the promotion of mental health, prevention and early intervention. Some $4.9 million of the funding will be used to increase the number of specialist mental health providers, including consumer and carer positions, and to provide supported accommodation for young people.
These initiatives will improve access to specialised mental health services and reduce delays between seeking and receiving mental health care. They will provide early intervention strategies and increase the involvement of consumers and carers in the planning of mental health care.
The initiatives will also provide for mixed short and long-term 24-hour residential supported youth accommodation and day care support for young people with serious mental illnesses. The short-term accommodation will include a step-up/step-down option as an alternative to acute admission, while the long-term support will focus on providing a home environment for young people with serious mental illness.
The promotion of mental health and early intervention of mental illness is a comparatively new direction in mental health. It has been identified as a priority
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