Ros SPENCE (Yuroke) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health, and the action I seek is for the minister to join me in meeting with the Hume City Council mayor and officers to discuss health services planning in the Yuroke electorate. Yuroke residents have greatly benefited from Labor’s investment in restoring our health system over the past three years. This government has not only ended the war with paramedics but also invested in improved ambulance services in my electorate, including over a dozen additional first responders. We have also opened the new 24-hour supercare pharmacy in Craigieburn and made it easier for young people to access medical advice by providing GP services at both government secondary schools in the Yuroke electorate.

As Yuroke is a growth electorate, it is also vitally important to plan for the future so families can continue to receive quality care close to home. I look forward to hearing from the minister and working with her so we can continue delivering services to Yuroke residents.

Response: 

I would be pleased to meet with the Hume City Council mayor and officers to discuss health services planning in the Hume area.

The City of Hume is projected to grow in population by 2.6% per annum over the next 15 years, well above the Victorian average of 1.6%.  Within Hume, even higher growth rates of almost 4% are expected in the localities around Craigieburn.  The majority of this growth is expected to be in both younger and older residents, and involve communities with higher than state-wide average levels of social disadvantage, and poorer levels of overall health and wellbeing.

Given the immediate challenges driven by rapid population growth, a priority has been planning for the healthcare needs of the state’s outer-urban growth areas including the north.

The Andrews Labor Government is responding to this challenge by investing $17.3 million to expand surgery at Broadmeadows Health service, enabling more than 2,500 additional procedures to be delivered locally.

In addition, the 2017-18 State Budget provides $162.7 million to expand the Northern Hospital by completing a seven-story tower that includes 96 new inpatient beds, three new operating theatres and more treatment rooms.

The Government’s $500 million investment in ambulance services is also delivering new and upgraded services to the Hume area including a new 24 hour team in Mernda, a new peak period unit in Broadford, and additional 24 hour teams to enhance existing services in Craigieburn and Epping.

In addition, two new ambulance super response centre have been established in the Hume local government area. These centres will support 210 new paramedic FTE to be dynamically deployed across metropolitan Melbourne.

Under the Andrew Labor Government’s Supercare Pharmacies Initiative, the Amcal Pharmacy in Craigieburn is one of 12 pharmacies around the State that are now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a nurse in attendance from 6pm to 10pm to assess and treat minor injury and illness.

This Government has already invested twice what the Opposition did during their last term in Government on health infrastructure. While there is more work to be done, we’re proud to be delivering improved services to Victorians, including in the Northern growth corridor.

Hon Jill Hennessy MP

Minister for Health