Sarah Courtney,Minister for Health
The Hodgman majority Liberal Government is focused on continuing to deliver our plan to build a better health system for all Tasmanians.
We recognise that our hospitals are under pressure and the Government is committed to working with staff and key stakeholders to ensure more patients can get the care they need.
Today I met with the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine for an extremely constructive discussion. In particular, we spoke about:
- The importance of connecting community and acute care systems;
- The need to ensure solutions and initiatives are appropriate for local hospital contexts;
- The importance of effective internal hospital communication; and
- Our desire for a strategic and dedicated approach to culture within our hospitals.
Both ACEM and the Government agree that 24 hour waits in Tasmanian EDs have been a long-term challenge for our EDs, but it is not acceptable and we must work hard to reduce this.
This is why we want to see our hospitals improve for the benefit of Tasmanian patients, so I welcome ACEM's continued engagement on these important issues and thank them for their positive leadership.
As I confirmed earlier in the week, the Government has committed to consider ACEM's report and the recommendations it contains, as well as to undertake broader work on patient flow strategies. This work will be expanded as part of a statewide focus.
