South Australia’s nurses say financial penalties should be imposed on hospitals which consistently miss the four-hour target for ensuring all patients are admitted or discharged.
The recommendation is contained in the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s (ANMF) Prescription For Change report released today in response to the Federal Budget and the State Government’s proposed plan to transform the health sector unveiled last week.
ANMF state secretary Elizabeth Dabars said budget cuts would see $650 million removed from South Australia’s health system over the next four years.
“While as an organisation we will continue to fight these short-sighted cuts, we know that in all likelihood the Federal Government will not provide the level of funding previously promised for South Australian hospitals and patients,” Ms Dabars said.
“For too long the debate has been around what cuts can or should be made where.
“We have consistently argued that the debate should always be, and should now certainly be, about the positive reform of the health system.”
The Prescription for Change report contained 30 recommendations following consultation with nurses and midwives.
Ms Dabars said hospitals should be held accountable for not seeing patients in emergency departments in the recommended amount of time.
“Every time a person cannot be seen within the four-hour time limit in an emergency department that action is actually undertaken and penalties imposed on the offending hospital,” she said.
“We can’t have situations continuing where people are sitting in our emergency departments for days, if not weeks, on end without any penalty on that hospital.
“This is not an issue about the emergency department itself, it’s an issue about the system operating effectively.
“We think there should be consequences in the event that people aren’t seen quickly and effectively and as efficiently as they should be.”
More community nursing to keep people out of hospital
The report also recommended introducing broader services at home or in residential care to help keep people out of hospital and reduce costs for the state’s health system.
“We know there are far too many instances of our frail and aged people entering the hospital system where we believe those cases or those scenarios should have been avoided,” Ms Dabars said.
“One of the recommendations we’re putting forward is the ability of nurse practitioners to go into residential aged care facilities or into people’s homes to assist people at the earliest time practicable to ensure that they do not need to go into our hospital system.
“[This] is of course much better for that individual but is also most cost effective and will save us money in the long term.”
Ms Dabars said nurses would also like to see chronic disease and complex needs care services set up in the community.
“Currently the care that individuals who have a chronic disease or a complex concern have is far too fragmented,” she said.
“We also want a better investment in preventative help and we’re recommending the establishment of additional community health and primary health care services.”