media releases

“Today’s announcement of new direct funding of Emergency Departments indicates an understanding of the difficulties our patients encounter when sick,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President of the Doctors Reform Society, “but fails to recognise that the main problem with delays in Emergency Departments is ‘access block’, the lack of empty beds into which patients requiring admission can be sent. Emergency Department doctors and the research have been pointing this out for years.”

“But the reasons for ‘access block’ are predominantly a lack of Federal funding and Federal reforms ie Aged Care and Medicare/GP/Primary Care. There are not enough Aged Care places for patients who are in hospital and inadequate primary care leads to too many patients presenting to Emergency Departments and requiring admission with problems which good primary care could have treated,” said Dr Woodruff.

“Both primary care and Aged care are predominantly a Federal responsibility (Mr Rudd) but instead of addressing these issues Mr Rudd’s treatment of the problem in Emergency is to give some minor funding to States contingent upon them meeting targets which are unachievable because there are no empty beds,” said Dr Woodruff. “That approach will promote gaming of the system which has already been identified as a problem in Victoria where hospital funding depended on achieving unrealistic targets. “

“It’s time Mr Rudd told us and the States what he proposes to improve his areas of responsibility (Medicare and Aged Care) rather than pressuring States about their performance. Then the States and the Australian public might be more convinced he is genuine about fundamental reform of the system and improving access and quality of care for our patients.”

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

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