Wednesday 17 June 2009
DELLA’S HEALTH SPIN: EVEN HIS OWN BUDGET PAPERS SAY THINGS WILL GET WORSE UNDER LABOR
Health Minister John Della Bosca has failed to fix the underlying and systemic problems in our hospital network, and this budget simply continues to throw money at a broken health system, Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner said today.
“The indifferent Health Minister John Della Bosca has run up the white flag, thrown his hands in the air and admitted defeat – his own budget papers show performance in our hospitals will worsen as a result of this health budget,” Mrs Skinner said.
“According to Labor’s own budget papers, this health budget will result in worsening performance in our hospitals,” she said.
Performance measure |
Result in 2006/07 |
Budget says in 2009/10 it will be worse… |
Off-Stretcher Time (percentage of patients off loaded from ambulances in less than 30 minutes) |
78% |
75% |
Triage 2 (percentage of patients treated within the required 10 minutes) |
87% |
82% |
Triage 3 (percentage of patients treated within the required 30 minutes) |
71% |
69% |
Triage 4 (percentage of patients treated within required 60 minutes) |
74% |
72% |
Emergency Admission (also Access Block: percentage of patients admitted to ward bed in less than 8 hours) |
78% |
75% |
(Source: Budget Paper No. 3, page 13 – 17)
“If this budget is so good for health, why does the incompetent Rees Labor Government’s own budget papers show things will get worse?
“Health Minister John Della Bosca failed to get health infrastructure spending increased (it was cut by $236 million), got health its lowest share of infrastructure spending in the government’s history and is now admitting things will get worse in his own budget papers.
“Unlike Labor, who have given up, the NSW Liberal/Nationals have positive practical plans to fix the health system.
“Labor’s Area Health Services have failed. It’s time to remove them and reorganise health management in NSW to improve patient care, “ Mrs Skinner said.