Page 2923 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 16 October 2007
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heading in the right direction—that the government’s investments are achieving better outcomes and that the Canberra community is giving the hospital the thumbs up when it comes to the level of care provided.
MR SPEAKER: Ms MacDonald with a supplementary question.
MS MacDONALD: Thank you, Mr Speaker. My supplementary question is: minister, what are the factors influencing this high satisfaction rate?
MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, in the government’s view, the key reasons for this are because this government has invested in our public hospital system. This government has replaced the 114 beds the Liberal Party cut from our hospital system and we have restored 147 beds, with more to come.
This mix of beds includes an additional 60 acute care beds, four more intensive care beds, 51 beds for our subacute services and 17 beds in two observation wards next to our emergency departments. These have all been opened to increase capacity and address pressures in the system. On top of this, we have funded 15 intermittent care beds in our community. These extra beds deliver improved clinical treatment options in care environments not previously available in the ACT. Once again, it is the Labor government that is improving access to public health. It is the Labor government that is investing in public health and hospital services.
Mr Smyth: So you will table the report?
MR SPEAKER: Do I need to remind you, Mr Smyth, that you are on a warning?
Mr Smyth: No. I have been very careful, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Well, be careful.
MR CORBELL: In addition, of course, we have seen the 14-bed medical assessment and planning unit and the 17 emergency department observation beds focus directly on the immediate bed requirements for the emergency departments. Again, that is our commitment to improving bed capacity in the ED, one of the busiest parts of the hospital. Of course we have continued to focus on improving patient flows and removing bottlenecks in the system. The subacute beds at Calvary, for example, provide more appropriate care for older people and free up acute care beds for those people who really need them.
We have also focused very strongly on improving the number of beds available in our public hospital system. This has jumped from 679 beds in 2004-05 to 714 beds in 2005-06—a 5.2 per cent increase.
Mr Hargreaves: An increase!
MR CORBELL: An increase, Mr Speaker. It came about at a time when the national figure for available beds dropped by one per cent. So the ACT has bucked the trend. The ACT is investing in additional bed capacity.
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