5 December 2016

Michael Ferguson, Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly
Minister for Health

1000 days, 1000 reasons

This week of scrutiny of Government owned businesses marks the final Parliamentary week for 2016, where we will again be demonstrating the important role the Government plays in key areas such as sea and rail transport, electricity generation and provision, and irrigation development.

The end of the week (Friday, 9^th December) also marks 1,000 days since the election of the majority Hodgman Liberal Government.

To mark the occasion, we will be releasing a comprehensive list of 1,000 reasons why Tasmania is a better place than it was at the election, 1000 days earlier.

Today I am releasing more than 100 reasons which relate to the improvements we have made to Tasmania’s health system.

By getting the budget back on track we have been able to commit a record $6.4 billion into health over our first term, which is employing more doctors, nurses and paramedics. We have opened more operating theatres and beds and more elective surgeries were performed last year than ever before. There’s extra funding for mental health and we are delivering on the Royal Hobart Hospital Redevelopment.

There is no doubt that Tasmania has changed for the better since the election, but there is more work to be done.

We know that not everyone is feeling the benefits of the investments we have made in creating a better health system for Tasmanians  which is why we remain determined to continue implementing our long-term Plan for a Brighter Future.

1. Elective surgery waiting lists the lowest ever - at June 2016, since records started 11 years ago.
2. Waiting list drop 30% - fewer Tasmanians waiting for elective surgery.
3. More Tasmanians having elective surgery - 19,000 received elective surgery in year to June 2016; that’s 3000 more than the annual average over the preceding five years, and the highest per capita rate for any state or territory.
4. Wait times reduced - a reduction of more than 400 days in average excess waiting time days for non-urgent patients.
5. More Tasmanians treated on time - more than halved the percentage of people waiting too long for surgery
6. Elective surgery postponements / cancellations reduced - down 300, from 2910 in 2014-15 to 2605 in 2015-16.
7. Incidence of seclusion in mental health facilities improved - reduced from 437 in 2014-15 to 296 in 2015-16.

1. More frontline health workers employed and fewer bureaucrats - over 200 FTE workers employed (including nurses, doctors, allied health, paramedics).
2. More nurses -  an extra 140 FTE nurses at 30 June 2016 than two years prior in 2014.
3. More doctors - an extra 32.63 FTE doctors at 30 June 2016 than the previous year.
4. More allied health professionals - an extra 30 FTE at 30 June than the previous year.
5. More paramedics - a 9.79% increase in paramedics – up from 306.81 FTE to 340.13 at 30 June.
6. Recruiting more graduate nurses - 130 transition to practice places this year, with 135 to be offered in 2017, and 155 in 2018. This is up from 115 when we came to office
7. Fewer double shifts - we have capped nursing shifts at 12 hours, with almost 650 fewer double shifts in the first six month of this year, and numbers continuing to be lower over winter.
8. More Hepatitis C nurses -  a doubling of the number of Hepatitis C nurses, allowing twice as many people to be treated each year.

1. Record funding for health - funding to health has topped $6.4 billion over a 4-year period.
2. Additional funding for health - an additional $50m for frontline health in our 2016-17 Budget.
3. Elective surgery funding  -  just over half-way through $76m record investment in Elective Surgery, which has opened two new theatres at the LGH and increased capacity at the RHH.
4. A long-term Plan for Tasmania’s Health System - the One Health System reforms are the result of most extensive consultation ever on health, to provide the best health system.
5. Three separate health systems amalgamated into one Tasmanian Health Service - from 1 July 2015, to reduce duplication and improve patient outcomes.
6. Patients First Plan - $5.4m in funding with 19 initiatives to ease pressure on Emergency Depts.
7. Single digital medical record across all Tasmanian hospitals in a national first - for patient safety.
8. Helipads being built across the State - infrastructure that will save lives.
9. Patient Transport - new arrangements for extended hours of Non-Emergency Patient Transport are now in place.
10. Major upgrade of existing Mobile Breast Screening Bus for women in other regional areas.
11. Upskilling frontline alcohol and other drug sector workers - In partnership with the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council, training sessions delivered to 250 frontline workers around Tasmania.
12. Establishing a Consultation Liaison service- Funding for two specialist consultation liaison positions in the North and North West.
13. Improved technology for cancer treatment- $490,000 for the development of supporting IT systems for cancer centres across the State.
14. Reintroduction of school nurses - $5.8 million for School Health Nurse Program.  20 FTE now employed, further 5 in 2017, working across 81 schools (program axed by previous government)
15. Better health in low socio-economic communities -$2 million Student Health Initiative to set foundations of lifelong good health, helping students to make healthy lifestyle choices.
16. Medical concessions for heating and cooling - implemented a Medical Heating concession to expand on the current Medical Cooling concession already in place, to help people with health conditions to manage their condition.

1. Radiology cancer treatment delivered for first time at the North West Regional Hospital - meaning 7500 fewer trips into Launceston each year for routine radiology treatment.
2. Refurbished Emergency Department in Burnie - significant capital works to extend/upgrade.
3. Mersey deal - fighting to provide certainty in seeking a 10 year funding deal for the hospital.
4. Mersey’s role as State’s first dedicated elective surgery centre - new important State-wide role, helping patients get their surgery sooner and freeing up beds in other parts of the state.
5. More surgery at Mersey - a record number of surgeries in 2015-16, and more than 1,500 Tasmanians have received at surgery or procedure at Mersey so far in 2016-17.
6. Better, safer care for mothers and babies - established a new integrated North West maternity service, modelled on expert advice, to improve safety for mothers and babies.
7. Expanded Antenatal and Postnatal care for North West Tasmania - boosted services at the Mersey and Burnie, providing better levels of midwife led outreach and home visits after birth.
8. Fewer Double shifts at the NWRH and Mersey - we have capped nursing shifts at 12 hours, with more than 14 fewer double shifts in the first six months of this year.
9. Helipad at the Mersey Community and North-West Regional Hospital - $1.4 million
10. New Ulverstone Drug Rehabilitation Centre- 12 new drug and alcohol rehabilitation beds from $4.8 million in new funding in response to the Review of Drug Use in the North West.
11. Tasmania’s first subsidised Hospital Link bus service - making bus travel easier for hospital patients and public, operating between the Mersey and Burnie hospitals.
12. Healthy smiles for pregnant women - a new pilot program in the North West to improve oral health for expectant mothers and their babies.
13. New dedicated Mobile BreastScreen bus - a brand new purpose built bus was launched in January 2016 to provide vital screening services to women across the North West coast.
14. New Telehealth clinics in North-West to reduce patient travel and improve access to treatment.
15. King Island Hospital and Health Centre - funding of $112,000 for upgrade.

1. Beds reopen at LGH Ward 4D - beds closed by the former Government have been reopened.
2. New Community Rapid Response Service in Launceston - for Tasmanians with chronic disease, this service is saving patients and families hundreds of trips to hospital each year.
3. St Helens Hospital redevelopment - $8.1 million has so far been committed to this important project, which will provide a modern base for health services in the region for the future.
4. The LGH has the additional capacity of two new surgical theatres - enabling significantly more surgery to be performed and halving the number of people waiting too long for care.
5. Upgrade of LGH Children’s Ward 4K - nearly$8 million is being invested in the first major upgrade since 4K was built more than 30 years ago, including specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health facilities for first time.
6. Fewer Double shifts at the LGH - we have capped nursing shifts at 12 hours, with more than 330 fewer double shifts at the LGH the first six months of this year.
7. The LGH has a new Short Stay Surgical Unit - this new state-of-the art unit is helping record numbers of Tasmanians to get their elective surgery sooner.
8. New patient call system at LGH - $950,000 to improve care for patients.
9. LGH Allied Health Clinics - $3.0 million is providing upgraded allied health facilities at the LGH, the first redevelopment more than 30 years, with a special care dental unit being established for the first time.
10. New Statewide Sexual Health Services Clinic, Launceston - funded a significant capital upgrade of the Northern clinic and provided an extra permanent doctor for the statewide service.
11. Flinders Island Multi-Purpose Centre – funding of $138,000 for upgrade.

1. The Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment back on track - $689 million redevelopment on track, with patients safely decanted and B-Block demolition to begin in early 2017. 
2. Safe decant while construction gets underway - new 54-bed temporary inpatient facility will ensure safety of patients and staff during demolition and construction of new 10-storey K-Block.
3. Extra seven operating and procedure rooms in redeveloped RHH.
4. More hospital bed capacity at new RHH - redeveloped RHH will have capacity for 250 additional beds, increasing acute inpatient capacity in southern Tasmania by more than 35%.
5. Fewer Double shifts at the RHH - we have capped nursing shifts at 12 hours, with more               than 300 fewer double shifts at the RHH the first six month of this year.
6. A helipad for the first time at the RHH - the installation of a $10.5 million helipad on the roof of the new RHH inpatient facility will save lives. This was not in Labor’s hospital plan.
7. Improved RHH design – mental health – patients have been safely decanted from the Department of Psychiatry to the state-of-the-art J-Block inpatient facility, which is designed to ensure all patients have access to outdoor space and more privacy.
8. New $12m Hyperbaric Chamber for redeveloped RHH - the new RHH will also its ageing Hyperbaric Chamber replaced.    This was missing from the previous government’s plan.
9. New Short Stay Surgery Unit at the RHH - providing better care post-operative care for patients who have had straightforward procedures, freeing up beds for people with more complex care.
10. Brand new health services, Glenorchy - new $21 million Glenorchy Health Centre underway.
11. RHH pharmacy redevelopment - a $3.8 million refurbishment, including an improved sterile pharmaceutical production facility to better support care for cancer patients, as well as dedicated facilities for the Jack Jumper Allergy Program.
12. Extending forensic medical examinations - RHH pilot project offering forensic evaluation and documentation of injuries in incidents of family violence
13. Kingston Health Centre - $5.9 million to replace the existing Kingston Community Health Centre with a modern new health facility at a new site. Early design works for the project are underway and the land transfer is in progress.
14. Midlands Multi-Purpose Health Centre Upgrades - $50,000 investment brought forward to upgrade the bathrooms in the Celia Button Wing.
15. RHH oncology ward - as part of the RHH Redevelopment, the RHH Oncology ward has been redeveloped, providing a contemporary space for patients and features more single rooms, with greater patient privacy and space.
16. Secured Tasman health services - helped to facilitate a successful contract transfer to a new service provider, to secure health services on the Peninsula into the future.
17. New integrated trauma service for Tasmania -  for the first time we have a state-wide trauma service, improving coordination-of-care and providing better patient outcomes for trauma transfers within and out of the state

1. More funding for preventative health - extra $6.4 million invested on top of the more than $70 million already spent across Government.
2. Clear whole-of-Government strategic plan for preventative health - for the first time.  Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan launched in July 2015.
3. Increased funding for anti-smoking social marketing - to reduce rates of tobacco smoking
4. Regulating the sale, use and promotion of e-cigarettes - to prevent re-normalisation of smoking and sale to children.
5. Informing people of the risks of obesity and promoting healthier choices -  through bringing the nationally recognised LiveLighter campaign to Tasmania
6. Fostering grassroots community health initiatives - through our $1.1 million Healthy Tasmanian Communities Innovation Pool grants program.
7. Risk screening - encouraging Tasmanians of appropriate ages to have their heart disease and diabetes risk assessed
8. Kick-starting heart health - annual funding of $50,000 per annum to the Heart Foundation’s Doorknock Appeal
9. Stronger role for child health - the Child Health and Parenting Service is to become part of Tasmanian Health Service, increasing the service’s sustainability and providing an increased focus on developing healthy habits in the early years.

1. 10-year plan for mental health - Rethink Mental Health long-term plan for Mental Health 2015-2025 delivers a blueprint for a State-wide integrated mental health system for a decade.
2. Suicide Prevention strategies - first for Tasmania, with clear strategies for Suicide Prevention, Youth Suicide Prevention and Suicide Prevention Workforce Development and Training
3. Reorienting the Mental Health Facility at the RHH - $2.4 million to reorient the Mental Health ward as part of the RHH Redevelopment, to improve care for patients through better design.
4. Child & adolescent mental health - $3.2 million over four years for this historically under-funded service, to increase staffing and deliver improved services.
5. Implemented single session family consultations - These sessions commenced in September 2015, to enable families to access CAMHS services in a more timely manner.
6. Community Action Plans for suicide prevention - $20,000 in grants so that communities can implement suicide prevention initiatives under their Community Action Plans.
7. Training for discussing suicide responsibly - Mindframe training sessions delivered to promote responsible and appropriate discussion around suicide prevention, especially by media and MPs.
8. Mental health funding - $3 million in additional funding from 2016-17 to implement the Safe Wards model of care, and establish a peer workforce in public mental health services.
9. Rural Alive and Well - ongoing funding to support Rural Alive and Well’s important work in rural and regional communities.
10. Mental Health outreach services - $300,000 for the Grassroots Mental Health Support Project, delivered through Tasmania’s 35 Neighbourhood Houses, to equip workers, volunteers and families with the skills to better understand mental health.
11. Mental health advocacy - $100,000 per year to support Advocacy Tasmania’s work with vulnerable Tasmanians regarding mental health advocacy.
12. Early intervention suicide referral service - $600,000 per annum to deliver intensive psychosocial support and follow-up to people within 48 hours of referral.
13. Psychiatric Emergency Nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital - ensuring the continuation of these important positions through our Patients First investment.

1. Paramedics being paid more - paramedics have been given a 14% pay rise under a Work Value Claim in 2015, plus additional 2% annual salary increments.
2. Protecting paramedics from serious violence- legislating for mandatory minimum sentences for serious assaults against paramedics and launched a public campaign to promote the message that violence or threats towards paramedics is unacceptable.
3. Major spruce up for Launceston ambulance headquarters - invested $850,000 for capital upgrades to improve the main Launceston station.
4. Ambulance ramping significantly reduced - there’s been a 60% decrease in ramping at the RHH since the 2014 election.
5. New paramedic care in Launceston for the first time - a permanent First Intervention Vehicle and Extended Care Paramedic is now in service in Launceston.
6. First Intervention Vehicle and Extended Care Paramedics in the Southern region - to reduce emergency department admissions and preserve emergency ambulance response capacity.
7. New paramedic service for Oatlands - to service the Southern Midlands and Central Highlands areas and provide increased backup to surrounding areas such as Campbell Town.
8. Increased protection for paramedics in the field - provided new portable radio duress alarms for paramedics
9. More anti-occupational violence training - commissioned a new training program for paramedics, in partnership with Tasmania Police.
10. 12 new paramedics in the North West - based in Latrobe, designed to help get patients to the hospital best suited to meet their needs.
11. Increased community emergency response capacity - the Early Access to Defibrillation Program has resulted in nearly 700 community held devices registered.

More Media Releases from Michael Ferguson

More Media Releases from the Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly