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Australia

Prime Minister to investigate claims of Scott Morrison’s secret ministry grab during COVID-19

Prime Minister to investigate claims of Scott Morrison's secret ministry grab during COVID-19

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government will investigate claims former prime minister Scott Morrison swore himself in as joint health, finance and resources minister during the height of the pandemic.

Mr Albanese says the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is seeking legal advice from the solicitor-general.

The ABC understands then-health minister Greg Hunt agreed to Mr Morrison’s joint position as a safeguard to incapacitation from COVID-19, but that Matthias Cormann was not told that Mr Morrison had appointed himself as joint finance minister.

Former resources minister Keith Pitt has told the ABC Mr Morrison also used his self appointment to Mr Pitt’s portfolio to block a controversial petroleum exploration licence.

Prime Minister Albanese said the revelations were “extraordinary”.

“The people of Australia were kept in the dark as to what the ministerial arrangements were, it’s completely unacceptable,” Mr Albanese said.

This is very contrary to our Westminster system. It was cynical and it was just weird that this has occurred.”

Mr Albanese said it was a serious allegation, but also “just weird”.

“Perhaps this explains why we didn’t order enough vaccines. I mean, the Minister for Health might have thought the Prime Minister was ordering them because he was also the Minister for Health, and he thought the Minister for Health was ordering them,” Mr Albanese joked.

Former Morrison minister slams secret appointments

Nationals leader David Littleproud, who served as agriculture minister under Mr Morrison, told ABC Radio this morning he did not know the former prime minister had sworn himself into several roles.

“That’s pretty ordinary, as far as I’m concerned,” Mr Littleproud said.

“If you have a government cabinet, you trust your cabinet.”

Mr Littleproud said to his knowledge, the then-Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce was also not made aware of Mr Morrison’s self-appointments.

“These are decisions of Scott Morrison. I don’t agree with them, and I’m prepared to say that openly and honestly,” Mr Littleproud said.

Little proud looks off camera, bordered by two silhouetted figures.
David Littleproud says the former prime minister was wrong to secretly swear himself into several roles.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Mr Morrison also used his self-appointment to the resources portfolio to overrule the then-minister to block a petroleum exploration license off the NSW Central Coast.

National MP Keith Pitt told the ABC he “certainly made inquiries” when Mr Morrison told him about the joint-appointment, but ultimately accepted the move.

“I certainly found it unusual, but as I said I worked very closely with Scott through a very difficult period through COVID,” Mr Pitt said.

“I’m just not going to throw him under a bus, I just won’t.

“It was clearly something I was concerned about, as you would expect.”

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten, who lost the 2019 election to Mr Morrison, said it was a bizarre decision by the former prime minister.

“To find out he was ghosting his own cabinet ministers, goodness me, he was off on a trip,” Mr Shorten said.

“Honestly I’ve never heard of this, in World War II I’m not aware John Curtin swore himself in as Defense Minister … I don’t know what was going through [Mr Morrison’s] head.

“If he felt the need to do it, why not tell people? Why be secretive?”

Mr Albanese said he would not pre-empt the findings of the solicitor-general as to whether the former prime minister broke the law.

But he noted it was possible there were other secret appointments made by Mr Morrison.

Constitutional expert says self-appointments were inexplicable

Professor Anne Twomey, an expert in constitutional law, said it was “confusing” how Mr Morrison may have taken joint control of several portfolios.

Professor Twomey said only the Governor-General can swear in a minister, but noted reports that Mr Morrison may have found an administrative workaround.

She said there were already provisions for other ministers to take over portfolios if a minister is incapacitated, and it seemed unnecessary.

“What on Earth was going on, I don’t know, but the secrecy involved in this is just bizarre,” Professor Twomey said.

“You just wonder what’s wrong with these people that they have to do everything in secret.”

live updates

By Shiloh Payne

That’s all for the press conference

To recap, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will be seeking legal advice from his department after revelations Scott Morrison appointed himself to multiple portfolios.

Here’s what we know:

  • Mr Morrison granted himself powers of Health, Finance and Resources Minister at various points when he was Prime Minister.
  • Some Ministers knew at the time, but others didn’t.
  • Mr Albanese has described the former prime minister’s actions as contemplated for the democratic process.
  • Mr Albanese will be briefed on the claims later this afternoon.

The solicitor-general will also be providing advice.

By Shiloh Payne

PM describes Morrison’s actions as ‘contempt for democratic process’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Scott Morrison’s appointments as different ministers could have caused confusion in the government.

“Perhaps this explains why we didn’t order enough vaccines,” he says.

“The Minister for Health might have thought the Prime Minister was ordering them because he was also the Minister for Health and he thought the Minister for Health was ordering them.”

“What we know is that this is a shambles and it needs clearing up and the Australian people deserve better than this contempt for democratic processes and for our Westminster system of government, which is what we have seen trashed by the Morrison Government.”

By Shiloh Payne

Key Event

Will the solicitor-general look into this?

The Prime Minister is taking questions.

He was asked if the solicitor-general will look into these claims regarding Scott Morrison, here’s what he says:

“I have asked the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet,” he says.

“We will be seeking advice from appropriate people including the Solicitor-General about all of these issues.

I’ll be getting a full briefing this afternoon. This is dripping out like a tap that needs a washer fixed and what we need is actually to get the full flow of all the information out there and then we’ll make a decision about a way forward here.

“But these circumstances should never have arisen.”

By Shiloh Payne

‘Nothing about the last government was real, PM says

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says there is an ‘absolute need’ for clear transparency.

“This isn’t some local footy club,” Mr Albanese says.

“This is a government of Australia where the people of Australia were kept in the dark as to what the ministerial arrangements were.”

“It’s completely unacceptable.”

By Shiloh Payne

PM: ‘Whole lot of questions arise’ from Morrison portfolio claims

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says claims that Scott Morrison took on additional portfolios as “extraordinary and unprecedented”.

He says he will have briefings on the situation when he returns to Canberra this afternoon.

“A whole lot of questions arise from this,” he says.

“What did Peter Dutton and other continuing members of the now shadow ministry know about these circumstances?

“How is it that the Australian people can be misled whereby we know now that Scott Morrison was not only being Prime Minister, but was Minister for Health, was Minister for Industry and Science at the same time as resources, was the Minister for Finance, and we had the extraordinary revelation that Mathias Cormann, apparently, wasn’t aware that Scott Morrison was the Minister for Finance as well as himself.”

By Shiloh Payne

Key Event

You can watch the press conference here

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking in Melbourne.

You can watch it here:

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By Shiloh Payne

Anthony Albanese is speaking in Melbourne

Close up of Anthony Albanese. He wears glasses with a black frame and a suit with a yellow tie.
(Supplied: James Alcock)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking to the media in Melbourne.

He is expected to discuss the government’s plans to investigate claims that former prime minister Scott Morrison had secretly sworn himself into three ministerial positions at the height of the pandemic.

There are claims Mr Morrison swore himself in as joint health, finance and resources minister.

Good morning, I’m Shiloh Payne and I’ll be taking you through the latest updates.

posted , updated

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Categories
Australia

New mobile clinic to treat homeless with chronic health problems who are living on Sydney’s streets

A man wearing a beanie

For Peter Carroll, managing his chronic health conditions is hard enough, but being homeless as well can make the barriers feel insurmountable.

Mr Carroll lives with arthritis and thrombocytosis, a blood disorder.

He is on a waitlist for emergency housing so he can receive a hip replacement.

“I can’t walk very well, so it’s hard to get around town and get to the doctors,” Mr Carroll said.

A new hospital-on-wheels is expected to be a game changer for Mr Carroll and many others sleeping rough on Sydney’s streets.

A truck that is brightly covered with a dot painting has a ramp leading to an open door
The van will also help people living in social housing and from Indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds.(ABC News: Helena Burke)

The St Vincent’s Mobile Health Clinic will provide services ranging from heart and blood checks to telehealth mental health sessions.

St Vincent’s Homeless Health Service nurse unit manager Erin Longbottom says there is a huge health disparity between the general population and people experiencing homelessness.

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, people experiencing homelessness face significantly higher rates of death, disability and chronic illness.

“We’re really trying to close that gap between people experiencing homelessness and the general population,” she said.

“The first thing we’re looking at with the truck is chronic diseases management — having a diabetes clinic, high-risk foot clinic, wound care, metabolic care and heart checks.”

A young woman with short dark blonde hair, wearing two T-shirts and a denim jacket smiles as she looks directly at the camera
The service will improve health equity and justice for people who are disadvantaged, according to St Vincent’s Homeless Health Service’s Erin Longbottom.(ABC News: Helena Burke)

For people such as Mr Carroll, having the mobile clinic arrive at local homeless community centers — such as Canice’s Kitchen — will mean he can get his blood checked while having a hot meal.

“It’s a lot easier and more convenient to just get checked up here than have to go through getting a doctor,” Mr Carroll said.

Canice’s Kitchen manager Carrie Deane said she expected regular visits from the health truck to be life-changing for many of the centre’s patrons.

“By bringing it here, to the place where they feel safe, they’re much more inclined to get themselves checked and take the steps necessary to really improve their health,” Ms Deane said.

Mobile health vans are nothing new for Sydney. Street Side Medics and Vinnies Vax Van have been around for a number of years now.

A man in a green beanie and hoodie sits across from a man in a mask, gloves and a puffer jacket inside the mobile clinic
Peter Carroll says visiting the mobile van is easier than trying to get an appointment with a doctor.(ABC News: Helena Burke)

However, the new mobile clinic has the space and facilities to offer more-extensive and long-term care.

Telehealth capabilities will mean nurses can consult with specialist doctors to assess whether a patient needs to linked up to specialized care.

Nurse practitioners on-site will also mean patients can get their recurring prescriptions without having to visit a GP.

The truck’s services also won’t be limited to the city’s homeless population.

People living in social housing and those from Indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds will also be able to receive medical treatment.

“This is all about improving health equity and justice for people who are disadvantaged, marginalized and who are more likely to experience poor health outcomes because they have a lack of access to health services,” Ms Longbottom said.

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Categories
Australia

Perth’s public hospitals declare more than 500 code yellows as capacity issues plague WA health system

Perth's public hospitals declare more than 500 code yellows as capacity issues plague WA health system

Perth’s public hospitals have been forced to declare more than 500 code yellows in the past year as capacity issues continue to plague the health system.

Worst impacted was Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, which went into code yellow 144 times in 2021-22 – an average of eleven every two and a half days.

That was followed by Perth Children’s Hospital (89 code yellows), Fiona Stanley Hospital (74) and Royal Perth Hospital (68).

Your local paper, whenever you want it.

The city’s biggest maternity hospital, King Edward Memorial, declared 36 code yellows in the year to July.

A code yellow refers to an infrastructure or other internal emergency that is impacting service delivery – including a lack of available beds.

Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said the “shocking” figures – contained in answers to questions in Parliament – ​​pointed to a health system that was “significantly under-resourced and lurching from crisis to crisis”.

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Categories
Australia

Better bones, stronger muscles and a happier heart — the benefits of exercising into old age are big

Better bones, stronger muscles and a happier heart — the benefits of exercising into old age are big

Aging. It’s something many Australians dread.

Things that used to be easy may not be anymore, appearances change and the body functions differently – but it’s not all bad.

The aging process can’t be stopped, but physical activity can bring a host of benefits as people get older.

According to Pazit Levinger, principal researcher at the National Aging Research Institute, overall wellbeing and health are better for those who exercise into old age.

“Physical activity is one way you can preserve efficient systems in the body that help you overcome diseases, function better and live a good quality of life,” she said.

‘Running has kept me healthy’

While not all older Australians can expect instant health improvements from exercise, 84-year-old Abdon Ulloa swears by his regular running routine.

Abdon Ulloa gives two thumbs up while at parkrun.
Abdon Ulloa has been running for the last 40 years.(Supplied: Abdon Ulloa)

Abdon took up the hobby in his mid-40s. He’s now done 75 marathons (his last one of him was at 77 years old) and he estimates his half-marathons of him are now into the thousands.

He goes to park run weekly. He’s been turning up on Saturday mornings for the last three years and has clocked up 184 runs.

All that exercise, he believes, has paid off.

“To keep running, to keep moving, you have very much kept me healthy,” he said.

Abdon Ulloa runs along the water at Port Macquarie parkrun.
Abdon believes the exercise he’s done, and is doing, is keeping him healthy.(Supplied: Abdon Ulloa)

“I don’t take any medicines and I visit the doctor once a year. I have no problems at all.”

Abdon is in a league of his own at his local parkrun in Menai in Sydney, where he’s the only runner over 80.

About an hour south, 82-year-old Ron Perry can be found making his way around the North Wollongong track.

“A lot of us still shuffle along up the back of the field,” he said.

Like Abdon, Ron took up running in his 40s and believes it’s kept him in good health.

Ronald Perry walks on red dirt in Broken Hill as part of parkrun.
Ron Perry was at North Wollongong’s first ever parkrun and has been there most Saturdays since.(Supplied: Ronald Perry)

“I started running around the block and then along the beach and just took it on from there,” he said.

In the nine years since starting parkrun, he’s done 215 runs.

‘Use it or lose it’

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Australian Department of Health and Aged Care recommend people aged 65 and older do about 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. But data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows half of this cohort isn’t that active.

“It’s one of those things, we know it’s working [exercise]we just need to encourage people to do it more,” Professor Levinger said.

A portrait of Professor Pazit Levinger
Professor Levinger says overall health and wellbeing is better for those who exercise into old age.(Supplied: Pazit Levinger)

She also explained that ideally, exercise in older age should target the heart and lungs, with a bit of strength and resistance training too.

There should also be a focus on balance exercises.

“The heart has less capacity to function efficiently like it used to when we were younger,” Professor Levinger said.

“And the same with the respiratory system. We often might feel a bit breathless when we get older.”

Then there’s the issue of muscles getting weaker.

“If we don’t use them and preserve the strength we have, we lose muscle mass and strength and that will have a direct impact on how we function,” Professor Levinger said.

“When you exercise, you can improve how those systems function.”

When it comes to running in particular, Professor Levinger said the benefits were large, particularly for the cardiorespiratory system and bones.

A shot of an older woman running from behind.
Running into older age brings about benefits for the heart, lungs and bones.(Supplied: park run)

“Your blood pressure is in the healthy/normal range, your resting heart rate is reduced and pretty much your heart works more efficiently,” Professor Levinger said.

“Those who, for example, have run for a long time, and they keep running, it’s great for the bones, great for the muscles.

“We often use the phrase ‘use it or lose it’, which is actually correct.”

Someone using it is 98-year-old Colin Thorne, who in New Zealand has become the oldest person to join the 100-club at parkrun.

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“I’m not going to give up until I have to,” he said.

It’s never too late

Bill Lamont is Australia’s oldest active parkrunner. He signed up a couple of months ago and broke the record for his age group at Jells parkrun, on his first walk around the track.

“In June, on my 93rd birthday, I decided to give it a try and I’m very pleased that I did so, I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” Bill said.

93-year-old Bill Lamont holds a parkrun cut-out frame and smiles.
Australia’s oldest active parkrunner, 93-year-old Bill Lamont, has done nine parkruns so far.(Supplied: Bill Lamont)

Bill has always been active, and even now he does exercise classes, orienteering walks and plays table tennis.

“All those activities, I’m quite sure, are what is keeping me as healthy as I am. I don’t have any medical problems at this age,” Bill said.

Professor Levinger says the bottom line is, do what you can manage, and do what you enjoy.

“Do whatever you can and build up. You don’t have to be fit, you can exercise and start at any age.”

Lenore Rutley with 80th-birthday balloons.
Lenore Rutley took up running at 72.(Supplied: Lenore Rutley)

Just like Lenore Rutley, who’s always done her morning walk, but took up running at 72.

“I wanted to do something a little different,” she said.

Since that decision was made, Lenore has amassed 332 parkruns.

“I just run down hills now. Every so often I’ll get a spurt up and do a little bit of a run and then I’ll do a little bit of walking,” she said.

Professor Levinger said the key thing was that people aim to do something they enjoy.

“You want to do things that you feel comfortable with and find fun, because then you are likely to stick with it,” she said.

And as Lenore puts it – “what else would you do on a Saturday morning?”

ABC Sport is partnering with park run to promote the benefits of physical activity and community participation.

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Categories
US

CDC drops quarantine, screening recommendations for COVID-19

CDC drops quarantine, screening recommendations for COVID-19

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others.

The changes, which come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic, are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected, agency officials said.

“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” said the CDC’s Greta Massetti, an author of the guidelines.

The CDC recommendations apply to everyone in the US, but the changes could be particularly important for schools, which summarize classes this month in many parts of the country.

Perhaps the biggest education-related change is the end of the recommendation that schools do routine daily testing, although that practice can be reinstated in certain situations during a surge in infections, officials said.

The CDC also dropped a “test-to-stay” recommendation, which said students exposed to COVID-19 could regularly test — instead of quarantining at home — to keep attending school. With no quarantine recommendation anymore, the testing option disappeared too.

Masks continue to be recommended only in areas where community transmission is considered high, or if a person is considered at high risk of severe illness.

School districts across the US have scaled back their COVID-19 precautions in recent weeks even before the latest guidance was issued. Some have promised to return to pre-pandemic schooling.

Masks will be optional in most districts when classes resume this fall, and some of the nation’s largest districts have dialed back or eliminated COVID-19 testing requirements.

Public schools in Los Angeles are ending weekly COVID-19 tests, instead making at-home tests available to families, the district announced last week. Schools in North Carolina’s Wake County also dropped weekly testing.

Some others have moved away from test-to-stay programs that became unmanageable during surges of the omicron variant last school year.

The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation’s largest teachers unions, said it welcomes the guidance.

“Every educator and every parent starts every school year with great hope, and this year even more so,” President Randi Weingarten said. “After two years of uncertainty and disruption, we need as normal a year as possible so we can focus like a laser on what kids need.”

The new recommendations prioritize keeping children in school as much as possible, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University’s healthy building program. Previous isolation policies forced millions of students to stay home from school, he said, even though the virus poses a relatively low risk to young people.

“Entire classrooms of kids had to miss school if they were deemed a close contact,” he said. “The closed schools and learning disruption have been devastating.”

Others say the CDC is going too far in relaxing its guidelines.

Allowing students to return to school five days after infection, without proof of a negative COVID-19 test, could lead to outbreaks in schools, said Anne Sosin, a public health researcher at Dartmouth College. That could force entire schools to close temporarily if teachers get sick in large numbers, a dilemma that some schools faced last year.

“All of us want a stable school year, but wishful thinking is not the strategy for getting there,” she said. “If we want a return to normal in our schools, we have to invest in the conditions for that, not just drop everything haphazardly like we’re seeing across the country.”

The average numbers of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths have been relatively flat this summer, at around 100,000 cases a day and 300 to 400 deaths.

The CDC previously said that if people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations come into close contact with a person who tests positive, they should stay home for at least five days. Now the agency says quarantining at home is not necessary, but it urges those people to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested after five.

The agency continues to say that people who test positive should isolate themselves from others for at least five days, regardless of whether they were vaccinated. CDC officials advise that people can end isolation if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and they are without symptoms or the symptoms are improving.

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Binkley reported from Washington.

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The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Categories
Australia

Perth Children’s Hospital chief Aresh Anwar resigns amid overhaul after death of Aishwarya Aswath

Perth Children's Hospital chief Aresh Anwar resigns amid overhaul after death of Aishwarya Aswath

The head of Perth Children’s Hospital has resigned amid an overhaul following the death of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath.

Western Australia’s health department on Thursday confirmed the departure of Child and Adolescent Health Service chief executive Aresh Anwar.

Dr Anwar, who had served in the role since 2018, will finish up on Friday.

He was at the helm when Aishwarya died of sepsis in April last year, after presenting to the hospital’s emergency department with a fever.

An internal review into her death found staff had missed opportunities to escalate her care despite her parents pleading for help.

Dr Aresh Anwar, who had served in the role since 2018, will finish up on Friday.
Camera IconDr Aresh Anwar, who had served in the role since 2018, will finish up on Friday. Credit: daniel wilkins/The West Australian
Perth Childrens Hospital
Camera IconThe Perth Children’s Hospital. Credit: AAP

The government has since replaced several of the health service’s board members and recently appointed a new executive director to address “cultural challenges” at the hospital.

Chair Rosanna Capolingua said in a statement that she was confident the health service had the “right team in place”.

“The community can be assured that staff at the Child and Adolescent Health Service will continue to give their utmost to providing quality care for Western Australia’s children and young people and support them to lead healthier lives,” she said.

Health director-general David Russell-Weisz said Dr Anwar had brought dedication and integrity to the role.

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Categories
Australia

Tristar medical clinics to close across four states and territories after failing to attract a buyer

Tristar medical clinics to close across four states and territories after failing to attract a buyer

Ten GP clinics across four states and territories previously owned by Tristar Medical Group have failed to attract a buyer and will cease operations on Friday.

McGrathNichol Restructuring were appointed as Tristar Medical Group’s administrators in May after the company owed creditors more than $9.3million.

“It is regrettable that the clinics must close,” administrator Matthew Caddy said.

“In the absence of buyers for the clinics, which are loss-making, we have been left with no other option.”

Clinics include those at Avoca, Ararat, Dandenong and Grovedale in Victoria, Kempsey and West Wyalong in New South Wales, and at Bruce in Canberra.

Three Northern Territory centers across Darwin and Palmerston will also close.

The administrators said doctors and staff working at the clinics had been advised of the closure.

The ABC heard that there was a potential buyer for the 10 clinics, but that deal fell through at the last minute and clinic staff were only notified of the closure on Tuesday afternoon.

The Family Doctor group on August 5 purchased 12 of Tristar’s clinics, which were mainly located in Victoria.

Bulk billing ‘unsustainable’

Tristar medical clinics offered bulk-billing patients but Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Karen Price said it was unsustainable.

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Categories
Australia

COVIDsafe app decommissioned, slammed as ‘wasteful and ineffective’ by Albanese Government

COVIDsafe app decommissioned, slammed as 'wasteful and ineffective' by Albanese Government

The Albanese Government has axed the “wasteful and ineffective” COVIDSafe app — saying it cost $21 million and identified only two positive virus cases.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the app, which was launched in April 2020, identified only 17 close contacts over the past two years that hadn’t already been found through manual contact tracing.

“This failed app was a colossal waste of more than $21 million of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

“The former prime minister said this app would be our ‘sunscreen’ against COVID-19 — all it did was burn through taxpayers’ money.

“This failed app only found two unique positive COVID cases at the cost of more than $10 million each.

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Categories
Australia

Medi-hotels were sold by Labor as a way to fix WA’s health system, but only one has been built

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson

So-called medi-hotels formed a key part of Mark McGowan’s pitch to voters at the 2017 election, but five years on there is little sign of them.

Sold as a way to solve what was then labeled a “crisis” in the health system, three facilities were promised to free up hospital beds and ease strain on the system.

It was imagined they would mostly be used by regional patients who no longer needed the care of a full hospital bed but were not yet ready to go home.

Three were promised, but so far, the only one to open is a four-bed facility at Royal Perth Hospital.

Work on another, being built by a private provider in Murdoch, is under way with hopes it will be open in the next year.

Medi hotel plan
The site of the planned Murdoch medi-hotel near Fiona Stanley Hospital in 2017.(ABC News: Jacob Kagi)

But the third, promised by Joondalup, appears to be no more, with the Health Minister yesterday telling parliament for the second time that plans had changed.

“We’ve actually made a bigger investment in Joondalup Health Campus, an even bigger investment than a medi-hotel, by expanding the bed base and [adding] 102 mental health beds,” Amber-Jade Sanderson said.

“In discussion with the local community, and with the local provider, that’s what they wanted.”

Joondalup plan disintegrates

Cracks started to show when what was planned to be the first facility, near Fiona Stanley Hospital, was already a year behind schedule before the pandemic.

But plans for others remained alive, including when then-health minister Roger Cook told parliament in September 2021 that development approval had been received for a 110-bed mental health unit at Joondalup, with 90 inpatient beds also on the agenda.

Joondalup Health Campus emergency entrance with red and yellow signage.
The government says it has come up with bigger and better plans for Joondalup Health Campus.(Supplied: John Holland)

Mr Cook said while the focus was on completing the first phase of the expansion, “ambitions” remained for a medi-hotel in the future.

But just eight months later his replacement, Ms Sanderson, told budget estimates the now 102-bed mental health facility would be a “far greater contribution” than a medi-hotel – a sentiment she echoed yesterday.

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Categories
Australia

Health experts warn delays on elective surgery may have compounding effects on the health system

A woman wearing a black top with a scarf and black-framed glasses.

Troy Patten’s life for the last two years has been more isolated than most.

The 58-year-old has been waiting for a hip replacement, and the risk of catching COVID-19 just when he might finally have his surgery scheduled is not one he’s willing to take.

“All I do is sit by the phone and wait for someone to let me know I can have my life back and give me a hip replacement,” he told 7.30 at his home in regional Victoria.

Like thousands of Australians, Mr Patten’s operation has been delayed due to repeated shutdowns of elective surgery to take pressure off the strained healthcare system.

He currently relies on a walking stick and said he struggles with day-to-day tasks. He’s also had to stop working, and can’t pursue hobbies, like doing up cars, which he’s passionate about.

Despite this, his surgery is considered non-urgent. He was told in July 2020 that it should happen within 365 days – two years later, he’s still waiting.

Man sitting down with a laptop in front of him showing a picture of a car.
Troy Patten can’t pursue his hobbies, like fixing up cars, because he’s in too much pain while waiting on a hip replacement.(ABC News: Daniel Fermer)

“It’s got to the point where it’s not ‘am I in pain?’, it’s ‘how much?'” he said.

“Everything in my whole life is in a state of flux.

“Everything’s half-finished and everything’s in the process of getting done because I just do bits and pieces here and there and try to get the best out of what I have for the day.”

But it’s the toll on his family life he has struggled with the most.

“It’s just surviving now and it’s missing out [on the] grandkids, being able to hold my grandkids,” Mr Patten said.

“I had one of my grandkids on the weekend want to sit on my knee and I couldn’t.

“It’s things like that people just take for granted.”

Waiting lists blowing out across the nation

In Victoria, there were 87,000 people on the waitlist for elective surgery at the end of June – that’s an increase of 21,000 in a year.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Victorian Department of Health said $1.5 billion was being spent to get on top of the backlog and improve capacity in the future.

“Health services work closely with all patients to reschedule any postponed procedures as soon as possible and provide them with alternative supports while waiting for treatment,” they said.

But the problem is far from limited to that state.

Empty bed at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
Continuing pressure on hospitals and staff shortages have seen elective surgery waitlists blow out across the country. (ABC News: Chris Gillette)

There were more than 100,000 people on the list in New South Wales at the end of March, nearly 19,000 of whom were overdue.

The West Australian list has grown by 10 per cent in the last year to 33,000.

Tasmania’s waitlist has improved by about 2,000 in the last year, down to 9,400 in June.

In Queensland, there are almost 58,000 on the list, 7,500 of which are overdue.

The federal Department of Health told 7.30 in a statement: “The Commonwealth provides a significant proportion of spending on the Australian health system to states and territories … and is committed on working with states and territories on longer-term health reforms of the health system to reduce pressure on hospitals.”

“All health ministers realize there are challenges and pressures facing the state and territory health and hospital systems and are working in partnership to consider a number of long- and short-term measures to ease pressure on hospitals.”

The president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland, Maria Boulton, said just because someone’s surgery is considered “non-urgent” (recommended to be completed within a year) does not mean their injury or illness has no profound impact on their quality of life.

Woman with medium length brown hair wearing a black printed top and red jacket.
Maria Boulton says elective surgeries shouldn’t be considered optional for those on the waiting list.(ABC News: Michael Lloyd)

“It’s important to understand that surgery is not optional,” she said.

“These are people that are in pain, these are people that are having effects into their activities of daily living… it’s also causing a lot of stress to them.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen if they have to wait on a waitlist for that long — are they ending up in an emergency? Will that surgery then become an emergency surgery?

“It’s not fair that they’re waiting for so long for a procedure in such a state.”

‘My fear is that my life will change dramatically’

Dianne Hill, from Brisbane, has been waiting 13 months now for cataract surgery, which she was recommended to have within a year.

While she is managing, she said she was worried about what would happen if her condition deteriorated.

A woman wearing a black top with a scarf and black-framed glasses.
Dianne Hill has been waiting over a year for cataract surgery in Queensland.(ABC News: Michael Lloyd)

“I can drive still, but I’m on the cusp, so I’m very concerned… I’m on my own, single, no-one to look after me,” she said.

“I am having issues. I can’t read instructions … I’ve got a magnifying glass I have to use.

“I’m still lucky I can get out and about and keep up with some of my hobbies and activities … my fear is that my life will change dramatically.”

A spokesperson for Queensland Health said in a statement $15 million was being spent to tackle waitlists.

“All hospital and health services (HHS) continue to prioritize clinically safe care for patients who require emergency surgery, the sickest patients will always be seen first,” they said.

System in need of reform

Jeffrey Braithwaite from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation was part of a team of researchers who looked into how to improve elective surgery waitlists in the first year of the pandemic.

He said there were a number of things that needed to be considered.

“Prioritising people on the list and really looking at where it is that we would provide the best value care for conditions,” he said.

“We could optimize the public and private hospital nexus … the public hospitals are often jam-packed, and under huge pressure — sometimes the private system has some capacity.”

He and Dr Boulton agree that delaying elective surgeries would also eventually put pressure on other parts of the health care system.

Man wearing a white shirt with black suit jacket and glasses standing in front of a bookcase.
Jeffrey Braithwaite says it will take a variety of measures to get on top of waitlists. (ABC News: Kathleen Calderwood)

“You can say a simple hip replacement is not as urgent as some cardiac surgery — that may well be true,” Professor Braithwaite said.

“However, to what extent is the hip not being replaced going to create huge effects for that person not being able to work, to be deteriorating over time, to not be mobile at all?

“[And then there will] be a much bigger set of problems [and] comorbidities coming into the health system six months later because we didn’t tackle them to start with.”

For Troy Patten, he’s just desperate to get his life back.

Man sitting outside next to a motorbike holding a walking stick.
Troy Patten has had to remain isolated at his home in regional Victoria while he waits for a hip replacement.(ABC News: Daniel Fermer)

“It’s hard on the mental state,” he said.

“Am I not worthy? Am I worthy? All these things go through your head.

“Then you start thinking they’re just going to throw me away and they’re finished with me — where I have a lot more to give.”

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