Thursday, 31 October 2024

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (21:40): (1243) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Health, and it is an issue I have raised in the house on a number of occasions around the non-emergency patient transport review that has been undertaken by the government. The final report was given to the government almost 12 months ago. I have met with non-emergency patient transport providers. They are becoming increasingly concerned that there is still silence from the government about the outcomes of the review that was undertaken. Now, we know that the ambulance system is in crisis, and in fact today when the Department of Health’s annual report was handed down the statistics in that did not show a pretty picture. Patient transfers within 40 minutes were just at 64.9 per cent where the target is 90 per cent, and that is just one metric that is demonstrating the enormous strain on the system. We know that the non-emergency patient transport providers do a terrific job in supporting not only patients but Ambulance Victoria in the work that they carry out right across the state.

When I have spoken about this in the past, I have had responses from the minister saying the government are taking their time to fully consider the final report. As I said, the report has been with the government for almost 12 months, and I think the time is up. We need to see what is going on, because these providers that are a critical part of the health system are very concerned about the ongoing uncertainty of the government’s delays in releasing the review. They are unable to plan ahead and make decisions regarding workforce and other resource allocations which involve significant costs. And as they have explained to me, they do not know whether they can further invest in vehicles and equipment or staffing, and it is really putting a huge strain on some of these providers in their ability to conduct the work that they need to do in future months and years to come. So the action I am seeking again from the minister is for her to not delay the release of this report. Release it so that these providers and the systems, the ambulance system and patient transport system, can have some understanding about what the government is proposing to do.