Thursday, 7 April 2022

Health services

Ms STALEY (Ripon) (14:35): My question is to the Minister for Health. Carly is a mother of three. In 2015 Carly had basal cell cancer removed from her left temple, and in 2019 she had it removed again. A biopsy showed that the cancer had infiltrated nerves in the area, and last November she was provided with a referral and appointment for 11 February this year. When Carly rang the hospital to confirm her appointment she was told it would be held via conference call. This call never eventuated, and Carly was told that she was on a planned call list. Why are Victorians being placed on planned call lists instead of getting the direct care they so desperately need?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:36): Can I thank the honourable member for her question. Whilst I am not familiar with the particular circumstances of the patient or the client that she refers to, should indeed she seek to share that information with me and my department I will of course undertake to have the particular circumstances of the case that she refers to investigated and, like we always do, engage with patients in the most professional and supportive way that we possibly can.

In regard to the more general principle, however, what I would highlight is that when it comes to our regional hospitals and services they are under huge stress, and despite the stress that the global pandemic has brought they continue to deliver outstanding services. They continue to deliver under huge pressure and workforce challenges the likes of which—with the lived experience of everyone in the system—no-one has seen before. That is why this particular government will work with those services to deliver the improvements that they seek.

In terms of the general principle that the honourable member refers to around a triaging process of clinical decisions that are made based on the circumstances that clinicians face, I am not familiar with particulars, but what I do know is that the general principle is the same right across the state. These decisions are made by clinicians. These decisions are made in a clinical manner that supports the best and most timely available options being provided.

If I understood the honourable member’s question, it might well have related to a category 2 surgery arrangement, and what I know is that this government as of the week just gone has recognised the pressures in the system that we have seen over the last two years. Preceding those last two years, when it came to elective surgery numbers, we had got those down to record low arrangements. What we have seen over the course of the last two years is how a global pandemic has played havoc with that workforce, with the provision of those services. We have got the coming together of a set of circumstances where we now have unprecedented levels of demand, unprecedented levels of deferred care coming through the system, unprecedented levels of chronic conditions needing support and unprecedented levels of workforce absence as a result of the COVID-19 BA.2 subvariant and the furloughing of staff. In that set of circumstances the recent $1.5 billion investment that this government has announced to tackle precisely those problems is the solution to the issues that the honourable member has referred to. It is the solution that will get us through this and rebuild the system yet again.

Ms STALEY (Ripon) (14:39): This month Carly received a letter from Northern Health rejecting her referral as incomplete due to not including the biopsy that Northern Health itself conducted in the first place. Carly has waited three years for surgery that is life saving. How many other Victorians cannot even get to see a specialist online let alone in person to receive the vital surgery they require that would save their life?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:40): Can I take this opportunity to just say what an outstanding job Northern Health—all of our public health services have done extraordinary work, but Northern Health more than any other service was at the epicentre of this global pandemic over the two years. Whether it be through virtual emergency services, virtual emergency departments, partnering with community health, partnering with culturally and linguistically diverse communities, partnering with allied health and other professionals or partnering with pathology specialists, they have delivered, under the most challenging circumstances anywhere in this state, an outstanding set of achievements. I for one will not be saying anything that tears down the reputation or the standing of the hardworking professionals at Northern Health, and I want to give them a particular shout-out.

In regard to the specific issues that the honourable member raised, I did undertake that should she provide me those circumstances, I would be happy to follow them up. We will deal with this issue, and we will fix the crisis that COVID has delivered.