Thursday, 10 February 2022

Latrobe Regional Hospital

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:09): I agree with the Premier: all kids need protection; they absolutely do. My question is to the Minister for Health. The Agnes parent and infant unit at Latrobe Regional Hospital is a dedicated service helping new parents struggling with living with a newborn, including with feeding and sleeping disorders, and also with postnatal depression and anxiety. For the third time over the pandemic this parent and infant mental health unit has been closed, this time indefinitely. Why are new parents and babies in the Latrobe Valley being denied vital mental health support through the government’s closure of this life-saving service?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:10): Can I thank the member for Lowan. I think the reference was to Latrobe Regional Hospital, the same Latrobe Regional Hospital that was privatised by those opposite, the same Latrobe Regional Hospital that had the keys thrown back at the state by a private operator in this space—that Latrobe Regional Hospital, which is now back in the hands of the people of Victoria and the people of the Latrobe Valley.

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is debating the question. Being a mum that has suffered—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I need to be able to hear the member’s point of order.

Ms Kealy: The minister is debating the question. As a mum who has suffered from postnatal anxiety, I ask you to address this very important question about the closure of a parent and infant unit in the Latrobe Valley.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has only recently begun his answer.

Mr FOLEY: I thank the member for Lowan for her question, and, yes, the Latrobe public hospital delivers fantastic services to the people of its community as a part of a network of hospitals which it leads in the Latrobe Valley, with partnerships through a health partnership arrangement that that hospital leads right across the Gippsland community.

During the course of this global pandemic and particularly over the course of the last few months we have seen very, very high levels of infection right across our community, and indeed the Latrobe Valley in this area had this implication some time back with the delta wave, but certainly over the course of 2022, in January, the omicron wave has seen many, many, many staff furloughed and many, many others having to step down. And in that regard, when you do not have staff in your hospitals, despite the great surge workforce support that had been put in place by local government in that area—and I want to call out the relevant local governments in the Latrobe Valley and their maternal and child health support services—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I am going to warn members on both sides of the chamber. There is too much shouting so members will be removed from the chamber without warning.

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, in relation to relevance, the minister is not responding to the question of why new parents are unable to get mental health support in Latrobe Valley with the closure of this hospital ward.

The SPEAKER: Order! I uphold the point of order. I ask the minister to come to answering the question.

Mr FOLEY: Thank you, Speaker. I was trying to point to the fact that to run quality health services in public hospitals you need staff. We have seen over the course of the last few months in particular a large number of staff in our public health system, and indeed right across the Victorian community, having to be furloughed for all sorts of COVID-related reasons. At the same time we have also seen the network of partnerships from the maternal and child health support system step in in local government in a big way. I want to thank local government and the wonderful maternal and child health support system—the most qualified maternal and child health support workforce in the country—for their help. They have stepped in to support precisely the kind of services the honourable member for Lowan refers to, not just in the Latrobe Valley but right across the Victorian population. That has been really, really important in keeping the delivery of these services in the community happening while we get through these important furloughing arrangements to get all of our health services back operating at an optimal level. I look forward to this government’s continued investment in maternal and child health support services delivering results for families and particularly young children.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Eildon can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour.

Member for Eildon withdrew from chamber.

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:15): Because the minister closed this service new parents and their babies in Gippsland now have nowhere to go to get the inpatient parenting and postnatal mental health support they need. The staff are ready to work and distressed that they cannot support these families in need. Will the minister commit to reversing his decision to close the Agnes parent and infant unit?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:15): I thank the member for Lowan for her supplementary question. This is a government that is investing more than any other government in our history in maternal and child health service supports right across the healthcare system, and indeed the support of this particular area has been highlighted in the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, of which this government is actually supporting full implementation. We are seeing mother and baby units right across the state being—

Ms Britnell: On a point of order, Speaker, I am pretty confused, but is there an understanding of the difference between a mother-baby unit and a maternal and child health service? They are very different.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for South-West Coast is not raising a point of order.

Ms Kealy: On a further point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this question is particularly around when the minister will reopen the parent and baby unit at Latrobe Regional Hospital.

Mr Cheeseman interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for South Barwon can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour.

Member for South Barwon withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is being relevant to the question that has been asked.

Mr FOLEY: Whether it is at Latrobe Regional Hospital or in the community health sector, right across the state in the whole field of support for vulnerable parents and their children, particularly at the earlier stages of life, this is a government that has a proud and enduring record of investment and continued reform. In regard to how these services at a particular local level are staffed and delivered in these very challenging times of a global pandemic, I will back Latrobe Regional Hospital every step of the way for the informed decisions they make.