$1.9 BILLION INVESTMENT IN OUR HEALTH SYSTEM

This brings the total funding committed to the health system by this government to $9 billion.

The $1.9 billion will meet the cost of additional demand and services in our hospitals.

The funding includes new investment of approximately $117 million over five years, to support our mental health services meet growing demand and costs. The State Government’s commitment to addressing mental health will see more than 130 new mental health beds brought online, with 72 mental health beds across three new rehabilitation units at the Queen Elizabeth, Modbury and Noarlunga hospitals to open shortly.

The budget also provides:

• $77 million over five years in partnership with the Commonwealth Government to support the establishment of a statewide cancer network to maximise cancer prevention, early detection and delivery of care
• $45 million over three years to support the delivery of the new Mount Barker Hospital that will provide 102 beds, including mental health
• $42.9 million over four years in partnership with the Commonwealth Government to support older people to transition to residential aged care facilities to reduce bed block
• $13.9 million over five years to continue the mental health co-responder model and expand to the southern suburbs so it covers the whole of Adelaide
• $8 million over three years to remove and replace aluminium composite cladding and upgrade fire protection systems at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital
• $8 million over three years in partnership with the Commonwealth Government to support aged care infrastructure upgrades in Bordertown
• $7.3 million over four years to improve efficiency of SACAT hearings to assist in timely discharge of patients from hospital into residential aged care facilities
• $2.2 million over three years to significantly expand the medical conditions pharmacists can treat so fewer people are required to go to hospitals or GPs

To address increasing levels of demand the state government undertook a record recruitment drive - hiring more doctors, nurses, ambos and healthcare staff. This approach has significantly bolstered the state’s health system with almost 2,800 extra health workers hired above attrition since this government took office.

Important investments have also been made in new infrastructure with the Malinauskas Labor Government building and opening more than 330 new beds across Adelaide throughout 2024 and 2025 - the equivalent of adding another Queen Elizabeth Hospital into the system.

Attributable to Stephen Mullighan

This Government continues to make important investments in our health system so we can meet increasing demand.

We are hiring more staff, building more beds and creating new models of care.

This latest funding boost means that across four budgets this government has delivered $9 billion in additional funding for our health system.

The Malinauskas Labor Government is continuing to invest record funding to build a bigger health system for South Australians.

We are opening 600 new hospital beds across the state and hiring thousands more health workers. Since being elected, we’ve recruited an additional 1,462 nurses, 646 doctors, 385 allied health workers and 301 ambos above attrition.

We’re also investing heavily in mental health services. In the coming months we will open 72 additional mental health beds across three brand-new new mental health wards in the north, south and west of Adelaide.

We are increasing community mental health services too, including investing $13.9 million over five years to continue and expand the successful Mental Health Co-Responder Program right across Adelaide.