Released 04/06/2018
The 2018 Budget will invest in frontline hospital services so that more Canberrans can get faster access to the hospital care they need.
The ACT Government will invest $112 million in core hospital services to provide better and faster access to emergency and critical care, with more funding for Canberra Hospital’s Emergency Department, emergency surgery, hospital beds and Intensive Care Unit, as well as boosting funding for more elective surgeries.
“With growing demand right across the health care system, the ACT Government is providing a significant rebasing of hospital funding every year to enable doctors, nurses and allied health staff to sustainably provide expert care to Canberrans every day,” said Minister for Health and Wellbeing Meegan Fitzharris.
“This investment will give greater flexibility to ACT Health to put more resources into emergency and critical care, more surgeries and more beds. And it will significantly improve the ability of Canberra Hospital to manage bed occupancy and patient flow for the ED and surgical areas.
“This Budget will provide $47.2 million for more acute care, including the ED, Intensive Care Unit and more hospital beds. This will significantly improve the capacity of Canberra Hospital to respond to unexpected demand, especially during the winter surge, and support high demand areas such as maternity services.
“This will include increasing bed capacity by up to 80 beds over the next four years, with bed numbers flexing up and down as needed to respond to peaks in demand.
“For example, 72 more beds being available in the 2018 winter season, almost double the number available last year. As the major tertiary referral and trauma centre for the ACT and surrounding region, it is essential the Canberra Hospital continues to deliver the highest quality critical care services.“The ACT Government will also permanently boost the number of elective surgeries and provide sustainable funding for emergency surgeries with a $64.7 million investment.
“This will enable ACT Health to plan for the delivery of 14,000 elective surgeries – an additional 1,000 surgeries every year – to better deliver surgical care and reduce wait times, which means better health outcomes for Canberrans.
“It will also help the hospital, as the major tertiary and trauma centre for our region, to manage the increase in demand for emergency procedures, which in recent years has been growing at a rate in the order of 6 per cent per annum.”
Minister Fitzharris said this $112 million boost to frontline services at Canberra Hospital will be delivered by 13 doctors, 57 nurses and 12 allied health staff working in our health system.
“The ACT is now the health care hub for a region of over one million people, and that calls for a sustainable step up in our investment in frontline staff and health services for our community.
“These core investments in the 2018 Budget come on top of major investment in health infrastructure already underway, including the establishment of the SPIRE Centre at Canberra Hospital, the expansion of the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, more Walk in Centres and planning for the Northside’s future health needs. It also comes on top of a $15 million capital investment already announced in this Budget for Calvary Public Hospital Bruce.
“By significantly expanding frontline care across the territory right now, ensuring a sustainable funding base for essential hospital services, and building new facilities to meet Canberra’s future population growth and demand, we are making sure Canberra’s public hospital services can continue to deliver high quality services to Canberrans, reduce wait times and keep our community healthy,” said Minister Fitzharris.
Over coming months the ACT Government will begin a period of consultation on ‘Your Healthy Future’ – an opportunity for health staff, stakeholders and members of the public to have their say on the future of health care in Canberra.
People will be consulted on a range of initiatives underway within ACT Health and share their experiences.
To register to be kept up to date on the consultation go to www.yoursay.act.gov.au/your-healthy-future
This further investment in health care is just one of the ways the ACT Government is growing services for our growing city through the 2018 Budget.
- Statement ends -
Meegan Fitzharris, MLA | Media Releases
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