Peter Gutwein,Premier
Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health
The Tasmanian Government has begun delivering on its plan laid out during the election to ensure Tasmanians get the care they need, when and where they need it.
Today we brought together representatives from both the public and private hospital sector to look at how we can work together to support Tasmanians to get health care sooner.
Premier Peter Gutwein said that with continually increasing demand, it is vital we use every available service to find innovative ways to reduce pressure on our public hospitals now and into the future.
"In our plan for our first 100 days, we committed to meeting with each major private hospital within seven days to discuss what support they can provide to our busy public hospital system, and that we would work to put arrangements in place by June 30, 2021," Mr Gutwein said.
"Today's meeting was a very productive one and we discussed how private hospitals can assist us to meet our ambitious elective surgery schedule, as well as the purchasing of beds from private hospitals to improve patient flow and access to care, through our one-off $20 million fund."
Minister for Health Jeremy Rockliff said the Tasmanian Government is providing the biggest ever boost to elective surgery, with an additional $120 million investment, taking the total figure to $156.4 million over four years.
"This will enable us to deliver an additional 22,800 elective surgeries and endoscopies for Tasmanians across the state," Mr Rockliff said.
"Providing better and faster access to care for Tasmanians is also at the heart of the Government's long-term health reform agenda. The sustainability of our hospitals and the health of our community is underpinned by better primary and community care.
"Where appropriate and safe to do so, this should include alternatives to hospital care, as evidence suggests people are more comfortable and recover faster from illness when supported in community settings. We already have in place a Community Rapid Response Service and Hospital in the Home, and I'm keen to see how private hospitals can also support our efforts to deliver more community nursing and home care.
"There have been some very positive and open discussions today and I look forward to that being reflected in written proposals, which will be received in the coming weeks. These submissions will then be assessed by the Department with the aim of having arrangements in place by the end of June."
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has hit the ground running to deliver the clear plan we laid out during the election to secure Tasmania's future, and a huge part of that is our extensive plan to deliver better healthcare for all Tasmanians.
