Disability Advocates reject Minister’s claims that TQEH will be better
04/03/2016
Joint Media Release
Craig Clarke, ParaQuad SA
Kelly Vincent, Dignity for Disability MLC
Stephen Wade, Liberal Shadow Minister for Health
Friday 4 March 2016
Disability advocates today rejected Health Minister Snelling’s claim that the Government’s plans for rehabilitation services at the QEH are better than what they are currently receiving at Hampstead.
In responding to a talkback radio caller’s query of “How can Hampstead rehab as it is now fit into the QEH to give equal or better rehab services”, the Health Minister stated: “of course it’s going to be better”.
In response, Paraquad SA (PQSA) President, Craig Clarke, today presented Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent and Liberal Shadow Health Minister Stephen Wade with a 15 point summary of issues which must be addressed before the QEH will be equal to rehabilitation services at Hampstead – not even better.
Mr Clarke said “PQSA is asking that the plan to migrate the services provided at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre for people with spinally injuries, and also those with brain injuries be urgently reconsidered – and reconsidered with complete consultation. SA Health and the Weatherill Government are fond of the ‘equivalent or better’ rhetoric – PQSA simply seeks precise assurances that equivalent services are guaranteed.”
Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent said “The failure to fully engage people with disability in designing the new services is a shocking oversight. The Government must fix this project now. If they can’t improve on existing services they should leave them as they are.”
Liberal Shadow Minister for Health, Stephen Wade, said that “it is ludicrous for the Government to claim that they can close 28 beds at the QEH, cram in a major slab of Hampstead’s caseload on top of current services without damaging services, both those at Hampstead and those at the QEH”.
ParaQuad South Australia Log of Issues for Rehabilitation at TQEH
1. Adequate storage space for specialised equipment, which allows for the equipment to be stored on the actual spinal ward;
2. Adequate breakout spaces for families;
3. Adequate consulting rooms to cater for visiting medical specialties, such as plastics (who currently travel from Victoria to service SA spinal patients), so that “best practice” rehabilitation is available to South Australians who sustain a spinal cord injury;
4. Adequate consulting rooms to cater for specialized medical services, which will include multidisciplinary ambulatory care (Outpatient Clinics);
5. Appropriate public transport infrastructure and roadway access to TQEH – this is important for families, outpatients and inpatients;
6. Parking capacity (standard and disabled);
7. Proximal access cab egress and access for inpatient and outpatient areas;
8. Provision of Best Practice equipment, such as Video Urodynamics, which has been promised previously;
9. Replication of all existing functional therapy space (with associated office space for the therapists, which allows supervision from the office);
10. Replication of all existing Independent Living training areas for people learning new daily living skills and which is located proximally to the ward area, and allows for “pre-discharge” weekend stays for inpatients close to being discharged;
11. Replication of all existing specialized service and equipment areas, currently provided at Hampstead, such as Wheelchair Maintenance, Wheelchair Manufacturing, Seating Clinic, Wheelchair Storage and Pressure Mapping (pressure sore prevention);
12. Provision of an appropriate enclosed area for wheelchair skills development;
13. Provision of gymnasium equipment and space equivalent to existing facilities;
14. Provision of an enclosed space for development of sport and recreation needs, which are integral to spinal cord injury rehabilitation;
15. Adequate driver assessment facilities, including modified vehicle.
