Health Reform to Deliver 179 Sub Acute Beds and Places in SA
South Australians will soon see changes taking place across the state as national health reform starts to deliver more sub acute beds and better care following an announcement of 179 sub acute beds and places with a substantial focus on mental health.
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Joint Release
The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing
The Hon John Hill MHA
Minister for Health, Mental Health and Substance Abuse
9 March 2011South Australians will soon see changes taking place across the state as national health reform starts to deliver more sub acute beds and better care following an announcement of 179 sub acute beds and places with a substantial focus on mental health.
Commonwealth Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon, Commonwealth Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler, and SA Minister for Health John Hill announced the 12 different projects delivering $134 million of investments in SA’s health system.
“SA’s health system is set to benefit by $2.9 billion over ten years from national health reform. Our absolute priority for national health reform is to give the system the resources it needs for more beds and better care for patients,” Ms Roxon said.
“The benefits for South Australia from today’s announcement are widespread. Two new mental health rehabilitation centres will be built at Whyalla and Mount Gambier, three mental health crisis respite units built in the metropolitan area and a new state of the art ambulatory rehabilitation centre will be built at the Repatriation General Hospital.”
“It is great news that six projects worth a total of almost $80 million will be used to boost mental health services including 80 supported accommodation places,” Mr Butler said.
“Sub-acute mental health beds can help to reduce the pressure on hospitals by providing patients with more appropriate care in the community.”
Mr Hill explained these Commonwealth investments are just the start of the wider Commonwealth investment in South Australian hospitals.
“This Commonwealth funding is part of a $253.1 million package to assist South Australia meet tough new hospital performance targets,” Mr Hill said.
“I am looking forward to working closely with Minister Roxon on further South Australian investments and welcome the increase in funding for mental health, and the focus on helping people at the often critical early stage of their illness.”
The Gillard Government will back up this four-year $253.1 million investment in South Australian hospitals with at least $1.1 billion in growth funding to 2020 as the Commonwealth steps up to pay 50 per cent of hospital growth funding.
Ministers Roxon, Butler and Hill made the announcement at Elpida House with the local federal member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas MP.
“It’s great to see national health reform already starting to roll out, and I’m sure these new investments will be welcomed by many South Australians,” Mr Georganas said.
Further announcements of other Commonwealth-funded health and hospital projects for South Australians will be made in the future as national health reform continues to deliver for the people of South Australia.
Media Contacts:
Minister Roxon’s Office: (02) 6277 7220
$134M National Health Reform Investments in SA
Mental health investments - $79.4M
- Supported accommodation services in metropolitan and country areas to support people with a mental illness after they leave acute care – 80 bed equivalent $19.2m*
- Mental health sub-acute early intervention care across three Crisis Respite Units in the metropolitan area to ease pressure on families caring for a person with a mental illness – 24 beds for intervention services $18.8m
- Two new country mental health rehabilitation centres, similar to those already operating in metropolitan Adelaide, at Whyalla and Mount Gambier to provide rehabilitation support closer to people’s homes and families – 20 beds across two sites $17.3m
- Youth sub-acute inpatient services, in either a hospital or community setting, for young people experiencing early psychosis aged 16 to 24 years – 15 bed equivalents $12.0m
- Mental health forensic sub-acute step down unit – 10 beds and intensive rehabilitation services $6.1m
- Mental health sub-acute early intervention home based services providing around-the-clock assistance to people in crisis in their own homes – 10 bed equivalents $6.0m
- Rehabilitation services at the Repatriation General Hospital as part of a new state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre – 20 beds and ambulatory rehabilitation facilities $40.3m *
- New funding to help ease Emergency Department pressures across South Australian hospitals $8.1m
- Equipment to establish ophthalmology elective surgery procedures at Modbury Hospital (e.g. cataract surgery) and support for senior clinical and project team $1.7m
- Equipment to upgrade surgical theatre equipment including theatre lights and theatre beds at Women’s and Children’s Hospital $1.2m
- Equipment to support country elective surgery and emergency departments $0.7m
- orthopaedic and urology equipment at Mount Barker Hospital $238,000
- orthopaedic and ophthalmology equipment at Clare Hospital $183,500
- orthopaedic and ophthalmology equipment at Wallaroo Hospital $90,000
- orthopaedic equipment at Port Pirie Hospital $114,000
- orthopaedic equipment at Murray Bridge Hospital $14,300
- general surgical equipment at Gawler Hospital $32,000
- Information and performance management systems to track progress against new performance targets $2.7m
* Announced during the 2010 federal election campaign.
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