Wednesday, 14 May 2025

Pharmacotherapy services

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:24): (906) My question is for the Minister for Mental Health. Minister, the Frankston Healthcare Medical Centre closed in January of last year when it was providing care for around 90 patients a day, including pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction and mental health treatment. Despite your assurance in the house last year that there was ‘capacity to support patients displaced by the closure’, Peninsula Health is unable to cope with the demand. Given it was known for months that the clinic was closing and your assurances to the house, why were provisions not in place to transfer all patient records from the clinic to Peninsula Health?

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:25): I thank Ms Crozier for her question, because it does give me the opportunity to set the record straight about what is happening down in Frankston. It is a shame Mr Limbrick is not here, because he has been very engaged in these issues as one of the local members. The Victorian Department of Health is not involved in the service delivery and transfer of patient records. Ms Crozier would, I am sure, as a former health worker, be aware of the fact that as a primary care provider the Frankston medical health centre is overseen by the Commonwealth-funded South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network. So this is not a matter for the Victorian government in terms of those health records.

Just by way of background, my department assisted the South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network with keeping the clinic open as a temporary telephone service while a pharmacotherapy clinic was established at Peninsula Health, and we were very pleased to be part of that effort to ensure that there was continued access to pharmacotherapy, care and treatment for patients in the Frankston region. The Frankston medical health centre facilitated the transfer of those patient files as needed to Peninsula Health for patients requiring ongoing pharmacotherapy prescribing, and Peninsula Health, contrary to what the member is suggesting, continues to facilitate further patient transfers. There are no patients waiting for an appointment, and Peninsula Health have reported to my department that the demand from patients has stabilised.

I am further advised that the South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network has confirmed that many of the Frankston medical health centre’s patients have accessed a number of different services, including alternative prescribers at Access Health, Mediclinic Clayton and First Step, as well as Peninsula Health, which of course the government has been involved in supporting as an alternative to the Frankston clinic.

Georgie Crozier: Nothing further, thanks.