Liberals promise 60-bed expansion of Joondalup hospital as Labor tackles ADHD
The WA Liberals have promised a $110 million 60-bed expansion of Joondalup Health Campus.
Liberal leader Libby Mettam continued her attack on Labor’s management of the health system on Friday as she announced two new 30-bed wards would be fit out as part of the ongoing stage two development of the Ramsay Healthcare-run campus.
The fitout would cost $20 million and the wards would cost $30 million per year to run.
Mettam said the pledge would allow 4000 patients to be treated in Joondalup every year.
“The latest Report on Government Services laid bare WA Labor’s track record of excessive ED wait times, record ambulance ramping, elective surgery delays, and hospital bed shortages – issues directly impacting patient care and safety,” he said.
Joondalup Health Campus.
“With WA’s healthcare system in such a disastrous state, and under enormous pressure, it is inexcusable for 60 beds to remain unavailable due to WA Labor’s inaction.
“That is why the WA Liberals will provide real solutions to alleviate pressure on Joondalup Health Campus and improve patient outcomes in Perth’s northern suburbs by fitting out two new wards, as soon as construction of Stage 2 is complete.“
Mettam’s promise came as Labor made a suite of mental health promises and a pledge to allow GPs to be able to diagnose ADHD and prescribe medicine.
Currently, only psychiatrists or paediatricians can diagnose ADHD in children and wait times to see them have blown out to almost a year in some cases.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the change would reduce the bottleneck.
“WA’s regulations are some of the most restrictive and out of date and we know so much more about ADHD than we did 20 years ago,” she said.
“With the right training, GPs are well-placed to diagnose and manage ADHD where there is diagnostic certainty, and this announcement will empower them to better support their patients.”
In states like Queensland and NSW GPs can diagnose and prescribe ADHD medication.
Sanderson also announced a promise of $1.2 million to ADHD WA for vital support, information, and
wraparound services for children and adolescents with ADHD.
Another $1.3 million will fund the addition of psychiatry for ADHD to the ‘GP Ask’ trial and the government said it would continue working with the Royal Australian College of GPs to help them train their members to diagnose the condition.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.Credit: Hastie Hastie
The WA Liberals have already announced their own ADHD commitments including $5 million to provide increased training of GPs and $1 million for ADHD WA to expand their professional development programs for schools dealing with ADHD students.
RACGP WA Chair and Vice President Ramya Raman welcomed the proposal.
“This proposal is the culmination of extensive discussions and work by GPs and the WA Government, but more importantly, calls from our patients for support to access potentially life-changing treatment,” she said.
“Patients need ongoing support for complex conditions like ADHD. If implemented well, this initiative will be a big step forward for Western Australians.
“ADHD is estimated to cost Australians $20 billion every year. That includes both direct health costs and more abstract factors like its impacts on productivity, but we can’t lose sight of the human side.
“It’s stressful to manage a complex condition and it is important for patients to have all the support around them.”
Capping off a week of health-related announcements Sanderson also announced a $48.5 million suite of mental health promises on Friday including a $5 million promise to build a new eating disorder centre.
Labor has also followed the Liberals’ pledge earlier this month to expand access to Ngala’s programs for struggling parents of newborns with $39.5 million to fund free public treatment in Ngala’s residential parenting service.
Currently, Ngala can only provide the important service to people with private health insurance or those referred by the Department of Communities.