Thursday, 15 August 2019

In reply to  Ms VAGHELA (Western Metropolitan) (29 May 2019)

Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services):

I am informed that:

The Andrews Labor Government promised to build a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital for Melbourne’s west, and on 5 May 2019, I was pleased to join with the Member and other Parliamentary colleagues to officially mark the opening of the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

As the Member notes in her question, up to 150 nurses and midwives are employed at the new Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which specialises in maternity and paediatric services, delivering world class health care for women and children.

The 2019-20 State Budget provides $64.4 million towards further improvements to nurse to patient and midwife to patient ratios that will see a total of 1,100 additional nurses and midwives employed in our public hospitals under this government.

Each year, government invests in health services, including in Western Health sites across the western metropolitan region, to support workforce training and development programs.

These include:

• The Prevocational Medical Education and Training (PMET) Program to support the assessment, supervision, support, performance and professional development of prevocational doctors.

• Medical Training and Development grants to support Victorian public health services to employ and train junior doctors by contributing to the costs associated with supporting the first two postgraduate training years.

• Delivery of clinical fieldwork student placements in medicine, nursing (registered and enrolled), midwifery and allied health disciplines through provision of funding to off-set the costs of supervision required within the clinical environment.

• Supports for health services employing interns (as part of a graduate entry program) in the professions of medical biophysics, medical laboratory science, medical radiations (nuclear medicine, radiography and radiation therapy) and pharmacy.

• Contribution to the cost of supervision and on-the-job training in the first year for approved nursing, midwifery and allied health graduate positions; and the first two years for approved medical graduate positions.

• Support for nursing and midwifery postgraduate study and/or employment arrangements, including the cost of supervision, for approved positions.

I thank the Member for her continued support of our government’s investment in her local health services which are also significant employers in her electorate.