Four possible healthcare areas for the Repat outlined in new report
FOUR different healthcare areas the public want for a revived Repat Hospital have been identified — as has a “passion” to keep the site as a health precinct for South Australia. Here’s what a future Repat could include.
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MENTAL health services, day surgery, transition care and rehabilitation for people with brain and spinal injuries have emerged as the four pillars of a reborn Repatriation General Hospital recommended by community consultation.
Health Minister Stephen Wade has also announced that 20 beds will reopen at the site by the end of the year.
The beds will be set aside for long stay patients, many of whom are waiting for aged care or NDIS support and are currently occupying space in major metropolitan hospitals.
The report on the consultation process to be released on Tuesday will help guide the direction of the masterplan for the site due by the end of the year.
The four themes dominated feedback from submissions, polls and public meetings, although a range of other services were also nominated including longer-stay surgery, accommodation for homeless veterans, palliative care, telemedicine, an eating disorder service and open space.
The consultation process saw 84 formal submissions, 1217 responses on the YourSA site and public meetings.
The report notes there was considerable “passion” to retain the site as a health precinct to take pressure off the health system, in particular the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre.
“The provision of mental health facilities on the reactivated Repat site was most strongly supported by those who responded across the different feed in mechanisms,” the report states.
“This was followed by a strong focus on the provision of simple surgical procedures, predominantly day surgery procedures.
“There appeared to be a view that the provision of surgery procedures at a reactivated Repat would assist in freeing up FMC and RAH to focus on more complex procedures.
“In line with this, support for care transition arrangements involving the provision of services and accommodation in a therapeutic environment for people identified as waiting for an aged care placement, a NDIS package or similar, was also strongly supported.
“There was also very strong support for the location of Rehabilitation Brain and Spinal and BIRCH services at the site.”
The Advertiser understands the Repat will become the key statewide brain and spinal injury rehabilitation centre using the existing hydrotherapy pool and a new gym, as proposed by the Paraquad SA submission.
This is despite “some disagreement/debate between different clinicians and those currently providing rehabilitation services at Hampstead, about whether it is best to move the rehabilitation services at Hampstead to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital or to the Repat site,” according to the report.
Mr Wade thanked clinicians from across SA Health, stakeholders and community members for helping to shape the future of the Repat.
“We said we’d listen, we’ve heard and now we will act,” Mr Wade said.
“The consultation process demonstrated the passion the South Australian community has for the Repat and it’s exciting to see a vision for the future of this important site coming together.
“We’re proud to be reactivating a key public resource which played such a long and important history in this state.
“The next step will be the release of the master plan for the site in coming months.
“Our state’s health services cannot afford to lose this valuable health asset. The Labor Government ignored the South Australian community’s demand that a genuine health precinct be retained on the site.
“South Australians want this site reactivated, our health system needs this site reactivated and patients will benefit from this site being reactivated.”
There have been more than 30 expressions of interest from private operators and non-government organisations on how they could partner with SA Health to maximise health care opportunities at the site which are now being short-listed.