Hundreds more health workers for South Australia as 20 new hospital beds open

The Malinauskas Labor Government has recruited more than 1,400 extra health workers since coming to government – far exceeding election commitment targets – as 20 new hospital beds open this week at Flinders Medical Centre.

New data shows the Government has bolstered our hospitals and health sites with 1,432 additional nurses, doctors, ambos and allied health workers in the two years since the election.

The health staffing boost shows that from March 2022 to March 2024, the State Government has recruited the following full time equivalent staff above attrition:

• 691 extra nurses
• 329 extra doctors
• 219 extra ambos
• 193 extra allied health workers

That’s a huge boost to the 550 extra staff recruited in the first year of the Malinauskas Government.

The 691 extra nurses recruited is more than double the 300 additional nurses promised at the election, while the 329 additional doctors is more than triple the 100 pledged.

These 1,432 additional staff are supporting the Government’s commitment to open 550 more beds right across the system – including 280 by the end of next year -- to deliver better healthcare for South Australians.

Today, 20 of those beds were officially opened at Flinders Medical Centre, fast-tracked by converting a former office space into an acute care medical ward for older patients in a purpose-built environment.

The new Marjorie Tripp ward provides 20 new inpatient beds helping ease pressure on the hospital’s Emergency Department.

Named in honour of equal rights activist and distinguished servicewoman Marjorie Tripp AO, the ward will start receiving patients on Wednesday.

The new ward includes eight single rooms, five shared rooms, a diversional therapy space, as well as a patient lounge area and a private meeting space.

The new beds will provide a base for the Older Persons Assessment and Liaison (OPAL) Unit and the Residential Care Outreach Team (RCOT), freeing up existing ward space within the hospital for other acute patients.

The OPAL service supports older patients who present to the ED and require inpatient treatment. It provides high quality care for vulnerable patients who are living with geriatric syndromes such as dementia or frequent falls.

The RCOT team support residents of aged care facilities to return to their supported accommodation, after a short stay in hospital.

The 20 beds are part of 160 extra beds being delivered across Flinders Medical Centre and the Repat, jointly funded by the State Government and Federal Government.

Space for the 20 beds has been created through clearing offices, with these functions now relocated to other areas across the Flinders Medical Centre campus.

These works form part of the State and Federal governments’ commitment to increase hospital capacity in Adelaide’s south.

For more information visit Southern Redevelopment at SALHN – Stage 1 webpage.

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Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

We are delivering hundreds and hundreds more doctors, nurses, ambos and allied health workers to provide better care for the South Australian community.

These frontline health workers will help staff the hundreds of extra beds that we are building and opening. We are bringing these beds online as quickly as possible to create much-needed extra capacity in our system.

It’s great to see 20 of these beds fast-tracked at Flinders Medical Centre to open to patients this week.

We have many more on the way – the equivalent of a brand-new Queen Elizabeth Hospital by the end of next year.

Attributable to Chris Picton

We promised to boost our health system with hundreds more health workers and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

In our first year, we recruited 550 extra doctors, nurses, ambos and allied health workers – and now two years in, we’ve more than doubled that.

More than 1,400 extra health staff are now working in our hospitals and health sites since we came to Government.

These staff do an amazing job in providing vital care to South Australians and I thank them for their dedication. They’ll be instrumental in helping us staff the 550 extra beds we’re opening.

It’s fantastic to see 20 of those beds coming online this week at Flinders to provide specialised care for older patients with acute needs, while freeing up beds in existing general medicine wards.

Attributable to Federal Health Minister Mark Butler

Our partnership is providing a significant upgrade at Flinders Medical Centre and it’s pleasing to see 20 of these additional beds opening to patients this week.

We know how vital it is to open every extra bed that we can, to boost services for the expanding southern suburbs.

Attributable to Federal Member for Boothby Louise Miller-Frost MP

Labor is committed to opening as many beds as possible to improve health care options for our growing community in Adelaide’s south.

These 20 new beds opening this week at Flinders for older South Australians are just the beginning of our huge 160-bed expansion across FMC and the Repat.

Attributable to SALHN Associate Professor Craig Whitehead, Clinical Director, Division of Rehabilitation, Aged Care & Palliative Care

We welcome the addition of our brand new 20-bed ward designed for older people in the community requiring hospital care.

The ward has been built to accommodate people who require inpatient treatment in a purpose-built environment, designed specifically for their needs.