Hospitals to receive $1 billion boost in State Budget
ADELAIDE’S suburban hospitals will receive a $1.1 billion boost in this week’s State Budget — including a $250 million redevelopment of the QEH that will keep cardiac services in the western suburbs.
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HOSPITALS will receive a $1.1 billion boost in this week’s State Budget — including a $250 million renovation of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
After Saturday’s announcement of a significant upgrade at Modbury Hospital, the State Government has now backed away from a proposal that would have resulted in cardiac services being removed from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The Sunday Mail exclusively revealed that Thursday’s Budget — Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis’ fourth and the last before a state election in March — will include a total of $1.1 billion to “modernise” suburban hospitals.
It will include major new infrastructure spending, as well as service upgrades.
On Sunday, the State Government confirmed details of the QEH modernisation, which will include a new emergency department, operating theatre and day surgery suite.
The Budget will also fund new outpatient and medical imaging services, and advanced brain and spinal injury rehabilitation services, at the Woodville South hospital.
Cardiac services will remain at the QEH, along with respiratory and cancer services.
Premier Jay Weatherill said the QEH expansion would start in early 2019 and support 780 full-time jobs.
Health Minister Jack Snelling said the revamped QEH “will provide modern, world-class facilities for all western suburbs residents, as well as patients who need access to the most advanced specialised rehabilitation services in the state”.
The Government’s backflip was a “very substantial step in the right direction’’ according to eminent heart expert Professor John Horowitz.
However, Prof Horowitz — who led the fight against the unit’s closure — said the uncertainty over cardiology at the QEH had done a great deal of damage over the last two years.
Key staff had left and research grants were missed because of the Government’s original decision to relocate services to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Lyell McEwin Hospsital in the northern suburbs.
“I appreciate the Premier taking the initiative in this regard and I want to leave in no doubt the changes he has made represent a substantial improvement in what was becoming a disastrous situation,’’ Prof Horowitz said.
He was head of the cardiology unit at the QEH but was suspended at the end of last year over allegations of bullying. He returned to work last month, and is treating patients, after the bullying allegations were downgraded but has not been reinstated to his previous position.
Liberal leader Steven Marshall called the new plan an “amazing backflip’’ designed to protect the seats of Labor MPs in the western suburbs.
“Five minutes before the next election, Jay Weatherill wants to recalibrate his health credentials,’’ Mr Marshall said.
“‘They have no credibility ... you cannot trust this government to deliver improved health services for the people of South Australia.”
He said Labor had made announcements to upgrade the QEH before the 2010 and 2014 elections but had subsequently walked away from them.
Premier draws a line under Transforming Health
In an exclusive pre-Budget interview with the Sunday Mail, Mr Weatherill said opening of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital in September and Repat closure this year would mark the end of Transforming Health.
“We are now at the end of that first phase, which has been about making sure that the hospitals work as a system and there’s been the creation of centres of excellence,” he said.
“That’s been hard, it’s been politically controversial but all the key decisions have been taken.
“The Budget is really going to reveal how we invest in what is going to be the future.
“We would like to go as far as we can in terms of modernising the facilities in terms of our suburban hospital network. We’re doing as much as we possibly can.”
Transforming Health was launched as a state response to cuts announced by the Federal Government in 2014 and sold as a way to make services more effective and efficient.
However, it has been hugely politically controversial in the wake of plans to close the Repatriation General Hospital and downsize services at some other suburban centres.
An Advertiser-Galaxy poll in September revealed 64 per cent of respondents were opposed to Transforming Health, including a majority of Labor voters. Only 23 per cent supported it.
Mr Weatherill said he believed the “tough bits” of reform were now behind the government as it battled community anxiety over losing highly trusted clinicians.
Mr Snelling insisted the transformation program had delivered huge positive results for patients by slashing waiting times and helping avoid return visits to hospitals.
“The big decisions have been made, the big reform effort,” Mr Snelling said.
“Now we can more on to what will be a really exciting time when people can say all of this has been worth it.
“It has enabled the government to make some sensible investment decisions. Some pretty tired, in some cases, health infrastructure is going to see some significant improvements.”
The State Government announced on Saturday it would spend $9.2 million on eight new extended care beds at Modbury Hospital.
Mr Snelling said the beds would potentially reduce the number of patient transfers to nearby Lyell McEwin and Royal Adelaide hospitals.
“But most importantly it’s going to enlarge the emergency department and just provide that extra capacity that a very busy emergency department needs,” he said.
Mr Snelling said the extended care facility would allow doctors to continue to monitor emergency patients who needed further care.
That observation is currently done inside the emergency department or the patient is transferred to another hospital.
Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade said the funding was a “political patch-up job which does nothing to address the fundamental downgrade of the Modbury Hospital under Transforming Health”.
“This is not an upgrade, it’s an expansion of the bed capacity of emergency care. There is no talk of the restoration of the high dependency unit or the emergency and other surgery taken away through Transforming Health,” Mr Wade said.
“The only way for the health system to recover is to elect a Liberal government. I would urge South Australians not to believe Labor Party propaganda, particularly nine months out from an election.”