Sick system boost
Government lauds record $7 billion health spend More needed for aged
The Government should employ a dietitiand just to go around and talk to groups of older people ...
AS a member of the Clarence City Council Positive Ageing Committee and a tutor for the University of the Third Age, Joan Carr is on top of health issues affecting the state’s ageing population.
The Lauderdale 82-yearold said she was disappointed there was nothing she could see in the Budget to specifically address the health concerns of older Tasmanians.
But she was pleased to see extra funding to improve the health system overall.
Ms Carr said there were measures the Government could take, particularly in preventive health, to assist older people in keeping them healthy and out of hospital.
“I think the Government should employ a dietitian just to go around and talk to groups of older people about nutrition and what to eat in order to stay healthy — this is something a dedicated Minister for Ageing could do,” she said.
“Once you get over 65, you need more protein in your diet because without it your body starts to take it from your muscles and that’s why a lot of older people get weak and wobbly and fall over and break bones and end up in hospital.”
Mrs Carr said a sensible savings measure would be to fund more palliative care to allow people to die at home.
“As people get towards the end of life, a lot of them want to die at home and the hospitals are clogged up with old people dying there because there isn’t anywhere else for them to die,” she said. THE centrepiece of the Tasmanian Budget has been revealed to be an extra 106 beds for the state’s struggling hospital system, 70 of which had already been announced.
The Government has unveiled a record health spend of more than $7 billion over four years, the biggest ever boost to health funding.
This includes $658 million more over four years, of which $210.4 million will be in 2017-18.
More than 350 extra staff will be recruited to service the 106 extra hospital beds.
The 106 includes the 50 beds announced by Health Minister Michael Ferguson in February. The budget reveals these 50 beds were originally only funded until June 30 this year, but will now be funded across the forward estimates.
An unannounced 32 beds will be opened in the South, most at the Hobart Repatriation Centre in Davey St, which will see office space refurbished to the tune of $7 million over the course of 2017-18.
The 22 Repatriation Centre beds will not be open until mid-2018 and along with staff will cost $19.3 million.
A further 10 short stay beds will be added to the Royal Hobart Hospital’s struggling emergency department, which will also be bolstered by five treatment chairs and ad- ditional triage and ED nurses.
Advertising for new staff will begin tomorrow and will include 215 more nurses, 20 more doctors, more than 40 new allied health staff and more than 75 other health staff.
The Tasmanian Health Service will introduce initiatives aimed at improving patient flow through winter.
New statewide operations and command centres will be opened in the RHH and LGH, overseeing movement of patients and beds in the system.
Mr Ferguson said he was “the happiest health minister in Australia.”
“This significant investment will focus on addressing the acknowledged emergency department pressures at all of our hospitals,” he said.
“This Budget recognises that we don’t believe the system is as good as it should be.”
Opposition Leader Rebecca White said the Budget had nothing to immediately fix the crisis. “I think any patient or worker in our hospital system looking at this budget would be very unhappy,” she said.
“The bigger picture is that governance problems are plaguing our hospitals and the an-
For 106 more hospitals beds, 70 of which were already announced. to implement new services under the One Health System. for mental health initiatives. State operations and command centre. Medicinal cannabis access scheme. RHH redevelopment over 2017-18. Mersey Community Hospital upgrade. Launceston General Hospital 4K children’s ward upgrade. Glenorchy and Kingston health centres. Refurbishment of office space in Hobart Repatriation Centre into 22-bed ward.
nouncement of a statewide operations and command centre needs to put leadership and decision making back at a local level or it will fail.”
Australian Medical Association Tasmanian president Stuart Day said the AMA felt the Government had listened.
“While many of the 106 beds announced have previously been promised, the fact that these beds will be opened permanently will allow doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to be recruited with long term employment, ensuring our public hospitals can attract and retain high quality staff,” Dr Day said.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian secretary Neroli Ellis said many of the new beds would be rolled out over 18 months, with the only immediate beds the four on ward 4D at the LGH.
“The new Royal beds to come online will be the 10 beds in the refurbished renal/transit lounge in August and the beds at Roy Fagan and New Norfolk once staffed,” she said.
“This will leave the RHH under pressure for the next few months until beds begin to open.”