SA to open two new state-of-the-art health centres, alleviating strain on emergency departments

Two health centres that will be alternatives to emergency departments will open next year in Adelaide, as part of the South Australian government’s budget plan to reduce pressure on the state’s buckling health system.

The Hospital Avoidance Hubs, costing $2.1 million, will be built in Adelaide’s north and western suburbs, taking patients with complex needs who will be referred by GPs, paramedics or emergency departments.

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The centres will have a team of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, as well as immediate access to medical imaging and pathology.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said two similar services are already operating in Sefton Park and Daw Park, and capital works for the new sites would begin this year.

“The hubs will deliver rapid clinical assessment, treatment, and monitoring for patients, who may otherwise be headed to the ED or a hospital admission,” Malinauskas said.

“This means that our EDs are available for the most urgent of situations.”

The South Australian Government is under pressured to improve the state’s health system as part of the state budget, which will be released on Thursday.

SA’s hospital emergency departments have been described as at “rock bottom”, ranked the worst in the country for completing presentations within four hours in a report released earlier this year.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital paramedic liaison officer Quang-Huy Nguyen said the new centres should improve wait times, with 23.3 per cent of ambulance patients already being referred to places such as hospital avoidance hubs.

“The opening of these two new pathways … will only help to increase these numbers, hopefully reduce pressure on our emergency departments and expedite patient care throughout the health system,” he said.

The government has also announced a $20 million upgrade to the paediatric intensive care unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

The unit will be upgraded to allow clinical and non-clinical spaces to meet contemporary standards and provide high-quality care.

A large equipment storage area will be constructed, alongside increased storage space for the adjacent operating theatres, as well as dedicated clinical work and break spaces for clinicians.