7 June 2005
2005-06 Queensland Government budget – QNU response
- Homelessness initiatives should greatly assist hospitals and mental health services
- New Gold Coast Birthing Centre is a welcome extension of midwifery services
- Aged care transitional beds should help free up much-needed hospital beds
- Extra nurses welcome, but detail unclear
The Queensland Government’s decision, in the 2005-06 State Budget, to expand health services and accommodation for homeless people should take a lot of pressure off hospitals and acute mental health services, the Queensland Nurses’ Union (QNU) said today.
QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said homeless people usually have extensive health care needs and the scarcity of accommodation and support services means they are big users of hospital and mental health services.
“Nurses see this all the time and they will welcome the State Government’s greater recognition of the problem in this year’s budget,” Ms Hawksworth said.
“The $56.5 million provided to establish an integrated service response to prevent and address
homelessness, public intoxication and substance abuse in inner Brisbane, Cairns, Mt Isa,
Townsville and the Gold Coast will provide valuable assistance for our hospitals and mental health units, which often have to care for these people.
“The $43.6 million provided to establish Homelessness Intervention Teams and provide support for people with mental illness, who are in transitional housing post-separation from
Queensland Health facilities, is an excellent idea.
“Many homeless people have significant mental health problems and it is often these problems that are the cause of their homelessness. Any program that can help deal with this problem is money well spent indeed.
Gold Coast Birthing Centre
Ms Hawksworth said nurses will welcome the decision to open a birthing service at the Gold Coast hospital
“It is a strong vote of confidence from the State Government in midwifery services and extends the choices available to Queensland mothers. Providing a service for about 300 women per year means it is similar in size to the Royal Women’s service at Herston.
“After the recent attempts by some doctors to run down midwifery services it is great to see the State Government providing this support to midwives and women who want to utilise their excellent services.”
Aged care transitional beds will also ease pressure on hospitals
Ms Hawksworth said the opening of more than 500 transitional beds for elderly people ready for discharge from an acute hospital, but still needing care, will take considerable pressure off the Queensland public hospital system.
“Many hospital beds are being taken up each day by elderly people waiting for a place in an aged care facility or for the provision of at-home nursing care. These people no longer need acute care, but do need some care and cannot safely be discharged from hospital at the moment.
“Providing a transitional bed, with less intensive clinical care, will save much needed funds and make more hospital beds available for people needing immediate acute care. This will also help reduce access block in emergency departments.
352 extra nurses welcome, but detail is unclear
“According to the Budget papers there will be an extra 352 nurses employed by Queensland Health this year. Extra nurses are always welcome, but the detail on just where these nurses will be employed is unclear at the moment.
“Hopefully there will be extra nurses to ease heavy nursing workloads in current services and not just new nurses operating new services,” Ms Hawksworth said. | 
