State Government accused of dumping its Transforming Health brand for political gain

THE State Government has been accused of dumping its Transforming Health brand for political gain — and keeping its health reform boss in the dark.

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SA Health boss Vickie Kaminski only found out about a major backflip on Transforming Health the day before it was announced, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.

Ms Kaminski told the committee inquiring into Transforming Health she was informed about plans to inject $250 million into the Queen Elizabeth Hospital — part of the government’s $1.1 billion budget health cash splash — the day before it was announced.

The injection means vital services, including cardiology, will be restored at the hospital.

The abrupt about face followed fierce community opposition and protests which were dismissed by officials including Transforming Health clinical ambassador Professor Dorothy Keefe who previously told The Advertiser relocating QEH cardiology services to the Royal Adelaide Hospital was a “no-brainer”.

Committee chairman, Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade said after the meeting it was “gobsmacking” Ms Kaminski was not informed of major budgetary plans until just before the QEH’s multimillion-dollar announcement.

A parliamentary inquiry was told that SA Health boss Vickie Kaminski only found out about a major backflip on Transforming Health the day before it was announced.

“This is clearly a political process not a health process — it’s all about the government getting re-elected, not about better health outcomes,” he said.

When asked in the meeting whether Transforming Health was “dead”, Ms Kaminski said the government was in the “final stages of Transforming Health” and took the opportunity to thank staff for their “hard work, dedication and support”.

“Plans for Transforming Health will be completed as we open the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, close the Repat and co-locate all the services,” she said.

Ms Kaminski went onto say, as a result of some of the recent changes, data for 2015/16 showed, on average, overnight stay patients were spending 5.7 days in hospital compared to 6.5 days in 2005-06.

First announced in March 2015 with the aim of solving the state’s ballooning health bill, Transforming Health has been met with significant opposition and is responsible for closures of the Repat and Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre.

Mr Wade asked Ms Kaminski: “You’ve dropped the brand, what else has changed? The only thing that changed is the government finds the brand uncomfortable.”

Ms Kaminski replied: “I would disagree with that.”

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Wade said the State Government was still “steam rolling out” with its Transforming Health agenda.

“There was no substantive change to the Transforming Health agenda in terms of closing three hospitals, closing hundreds of beds and sacking staff,” he said.

“The Transforming Health brand is toxic ... the government has to know that the people of South Australia won’t trust them more because they’ve dumped the brand — they have to change their reckless plan.”