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The WA government has vowed to spend $252 million trying to address issues in the state’s struggling health system, as the Health Minister took aim at the Commonwealth for the “abject failure” to manage some patients.
Key points:
- There is funding for 17 projects, with $74 million aimed at long-stay patients
- There is $55 million each for registered nurses in EDs and telehealth
- A trial “virtual triage” system at Fiona Stanley Hospital will be expanded
Premier Mark McGowan said the funding, part of next week’s budget, would help address many of the pressures hospitals were under, particularly in emergency departments.
He continued to point to staff furlough, “unprecedented” demand and COVID-19 control measures as key reasons for those stresses.
In recent weeks, the pressures on hospitals have been highlighted by two deaths while patients waited for care in Geraldton and Busselton.
Ambulance ramping figures also continue to show the strain, having increased significantly since mid-2020.
The funding announced today will be shared across 17 projects, including $74.1 million to help move long-stay patients out of hospitals.
“They are often waiting [for] aged care placements or placement with NDIS packages,” Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said.
“This is an abject failure of those Commonwealth agencies.”
She said that money would go towards 120 aged care beds to get patients out of hospital, and $5.8 million to help address barriers stopping people from leaving hospital.
“Not only does that free up beds, but importantly it provides a better quality of life for those patients who don’t want to be in hospital, and don’t need to be in hospital,” she said.
More nurses for emergency wards
An additional $55.8 million commitment was made to put registered nurses in 15 metropolitan and regional emergency department waiting rooms 24/7.
That was a recommendation made in the wake of the death of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath at Perth Children’s Hospital last year.
Last month, two nurses told the ABC a similar position at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) was often left unstaffed.
At the time, an RPH spokeswoman said while that nurse was “briefly” moved to a COVID-19 triage tent, it had subsequently been expanded to both the main waiting room and the tent.
Many of the other measures announced today were targeted at reducing the number of people presenting to emergency departments for treatment.
That includes a $55.2 million boost to telehealth, with much of that money going to continuing a COVID-19 home monitoring program.
More than $10 million will go to video and phone support for children and families transitioning between services, and $5 million has been set aside for telehealth mental health support in the regions.
‘Virtual triage’ scheme to be expanded
A “virtual triage” system will also be expanded beyond its initial trial at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Ms Sanderson said in a year it had diverted 1,000 patients heading to the hospital’s ED via ambulance to either a ward or another service.
But she was quick to temper expectations, explaining the changes would take some time to filter through.
“Addressing the root cause of the challenges facing our emergency departments will take time, but the first stage of this will be implemented as part of this budget,” Ms Sanderson said.
But she said with commitments already made to increase the number of beds and staff in the system, this was the next stage in addressing issues in hospitals.
“One part of it is resourcing the systems, but another part is just having good systems,” she said.
“What I want to see as minister is a coordinated system that’s working together to make sure we can divert patients to the most appropriate care.”
The implementation of the changes will be overseen by a ministerial taskforce, led by Ms Sanderson.
“The taskforce will identify sustainable and enduring policies to relieve some of that pressure on emergency departments,” she said.
“In the meantime, we will implement stage one of the reforms.”
Ms Sanderson said the taskforce would include the leaders of North, South and East Metropolitan Health Services, as well as other stakeholders.
A business case will also be developed for a centralised state health operations centre, with the capacity to oversee the entire state’s health system and manage resources.
More hospital beds needed: AMA
The extra money has been welcomed by Australian Medical Association WA president Mark Duncan-Smith, but he said it would not address the core underlying issue.
But Dr Duncan-Smith was pleased to see Ms Sanderson chair the ministerial task force to try and address many of the issues.
“This is the first time that we’re seeing that the government is taking responsibility for [the] problem of ramping,” he said.
“At least it’s a start and it’s a move in the right direction.”
Dr Duncan-Smith also refuted the Premier’s comments that COVID was responsible for many of the pressures on the system.
“These problems existed long before COVID started,” he said. “This is something that’s been brewing for half a decade.”
St John WA hopes funding will return crews to frontline
St John Ambulance chief executive Michelle Fyfe said she was hopeful the new measures would help reduce ramping and get crews back on the road faster.
“We’re looking forward to this package freeing up capacity in emergency departments, and therefore freeing up ambulances to be able to get back on the frontline,” she said.
Of the measures announced, the expansion of virtual triaging was the one Ms Fyfe was particularly keen to see.
But Dr Duncan-Smith warned that in some instances it simply diverted patients away from the emergency department straight to wards.
“When a hospital is 100 per cent occupied you can’t get patients out of the hospital or around the hospital,” he said.
“The hospital’s full, the emergency department can’t get its patients out.
“And then the emergency department gets full and you have ramping.”
Shadow health minister Libby Mettam echoed concerns from the AMA that the measures would fail to adequately address ambulance ramping.
“Today’s announcement is a piecemeal approach without any clear commitment to address ambulance ramping in the short to mid term.
“It’s putting patients’ lives at risk.”
Extra free RATs for close contacts
The Premier also announced the government would give close contacts another 10 free rapid antigen tests.
As part of last week’s easing, close contacts without symptoms no longer have to isolate as long as they comply with certain rules, including taking daily RATs.
Mr McGowan said the free tests would help people take advantage of that change.
“We want to make sure we get as many out there so people can be tested and confident they don’t have COVID when they’re out there in the community going about their business,” he said.
The tests can be picked up from vaccination clinics in Perth or from testing clinics in the regions.
It comes after the state recorded 5,847 new cases but no new deaths.
Hospital numbers remain steady, with 240 admissions, of which six are in intensive care.
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