Medihotels for Region?
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ALBANY CARPET COURT MAINSTREAM BLINDS 126 Lockyer Avenue, Albany 90 Lockyer Avenue, Albany Volume 25, No.2 January 12, 2017 www.gsweekender.com.au Tel: 9841 8804 Tel: 9842 1211 107 Stead Road, Albany WA 6330 Find the critically endangered western ground parrot Telephone: (08) 9842 2788 hiding in this week’s Weekender and win a $50 food Classifi eds: (08) 9842 2787 WIN North Road A $50 VOUCHER voucher for North Road Supa IGA. See page 2 for details. Facsimile: (08) 9842 2789 GENERAL MANAGER: Russ Cooper Medihotels for region? EDITOR: By GEOFF VIVIAN people in a specialised hotel environ- form a health policy package called ment potentially with family staying “putting patients fi rst”. with them. Peter Morris OSPITAL patients from the “This is about changing the conver- Great Southern would be “They can continue to receive vis- sation in health away from this tired Hable to stay in specially-built its and clinical care but continue to old rhetoric around cutting budgets, hotels before and after surgery under receive post-operative care and recu- restricting access to services,” he JOURNALISTS: a policy announced by Labor. perate in a more relaxed environment said. than staying in a hospital bed.” Shadow Minister for Health Roger “We are starting off by saying Geoff Vivian and Anthony Probert: [email protected] Cook said it currently cost between He said this introduced an important ‘surely there’s a fresh way that we $1,500 and $2,000 a day to keep a fl exibility to the healthcare system. can look at this, a new way that we patient in a hospital bed. “There’s no such thing as a standard can cast the health debate which puts “You could accommodate someone patient to fi t a standard bed,” he said. the patient at the centre of everything FEATURES WRITER: in a six-star hotel cheaper than that,” “Patients come with different levels we do’.” he said. of need and requiring different levels Greens’ candidate for Albany David Anne Simpson: [email protected] “So why not look at doing things of care. Rastrick said his party welcomed differently, improving services as “Medihotels is about adapting hos- initiatives that offered better services you go along and making a system pitals to meet the needs of patients Shadow Minister for Health Roger Cook discusses local health for country patients. more effi cient?” rather than demanding that patients care issues with Member for Albany Peter Watson on Tuesday. “The Greens WA support keeping ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER: He said under a system already meet the needs of hospitals. WA’s hospital system as a govern- operating in Queensland, “mediho- “If necessary they could be accom- an “extraordinary amount” of extra amazing so we save $60 million in ment service, as this is one way of Jamie Huesgen tels” were built in or near hospitals modated in a medihotel the night capacity. terms of effi ciency each year. ensuring that quality health treatment to accommodate patients after their before an operation if their operation “In Western Australia a country “We free up over 5,000 hospital is available to all community mem- operations. is very early in the morning.” patient has an average length-of-stay bed-days right across the system al- bers, not just the wealthy,” he said. “They’re too sick to undertake the He said Labor was yet to announce of about nine days,” he said. lowing us to treat another 54 patients Nationals’ WA candidate Robbie PRODUCTION MANAGER: arduous journey home but not sick which Perth site or sites it planned to “If we can reduce that length-of- a day.” Sutton and Liberals’ candidate Greg enough to stay in a hospital,” he said. build medihotels on but preliminary stay by just two days the opportu- He said medihotels would be the Stocks have been contacted for com- Andy Dolphin: [email protected] “We want to accommodate those costing showed they could deliver nities to deliver more services are fi rst in a series of announcements to ment. he Kalgan River ADVERTISING SALES: provided great Tconditions for the [email protected] Lower Great Southern Ski Championship over the weekend. Experienced and ACCOUNTS: novice skiers from most of the state’s six [email protected] ski clubs competed over slalom, trick and jump divisions. Kynan CLASSIFIEDS: Spencer (pictured) enjoyed his slalom ride [email protected] dodging buoys and throwing up a spray of water as he covered the short course in Check out our locally owned radio station at front of the judges. Photo: Ken Matts www.goldmx.com.au “THE GUYS WHO OWN THE STORE, LAY YOUR FLOOR” YOU GET MORE, MORE, MORE AT INDEPENDENT FLOORS! One of the biggest carpet retailers in Australia NOT A HUGE BUYING POWER FRANCHISE - Exclusive line of: • Carpets • Vinyls • Timbers • Blinds Owners: Shane • Laminates • Mats • Rugs & Remnants • Bamboo & Sue Hallett FAST FIT 5.0mm 128 Chester Pass Rd, Albany LOOSE-LAY VINYL PLANKS per P: 9841 8090 Available in 8 colours $ square 39 metre* W: www.À ooringxtra.com.au *Supply only. Conditions apply. James Lainie E: [email protected] 2 The Weekender, January 12, 2017 The Weekender, January 12, 2017 3 Call us now for Movie magic returns Win a $50 food a FREE measure Funds for regional students and quote! MOVIE buffs can take a step back in time and voucher in our REGIONAL students are expect- was subject to the passage of Allowance and ABSTUDY while ditional boarding allowance and 9842 6998 re-live the excitement of ed to benefi t from better access legislation that will change the retaining their place at university. the Government is committed rolling up to the drive-in new competition to higher education as the federal required period for regional and to delivering these reforms,” Mr thanks to a bit of modern government starts rolling out its remote area students to earn the “Breaking down the barri- Wilson said. technology and the en- HIDING somewhere amongst the pages of this ers that make it more diffi cult $93.4 million election commit- nominated sum to satisfy the “This means lower income thusiasm of Central 70 week’s paper is a western ground parrot. ment during 2017. necessary provisions. for regional students to attend owner Tom Kennedy. university has been a long-term families in O’Connor who are 9842 2942 Find him and you could win a $50 food voucher The pressure could fi nally be Students fi nishing Year 12 this geographically isolated will to spend at North Road Supa IGA. priority for me so it’s very satis- [email protected] Mr Kennedy successful- lifted from regional families try- year will be able to take advan- fying to see these requirements receive additional assistance to ly re-launched his latest You also have more chance of spotting The Week- ing to fund their children’s living tage of the 14 month period to amended.” improve access to educational venture on Saturday night ender’s western ground parrot than the real thing. expenses, which has forced many earn $24,042 and be considered opportunities.” “Quality service, at the site of the original The bird is so elusive, that it wasn’t until 2004 that regional students to delay their independent for Youth Allowance About 3,700 regional and re- The Additional Boarding Al- trusted advice” Central 70 on Stead Road someone managed to take a photo of it in the wild. studies by taking 18 months off or ABSTUDY Living Allowance. mote students across Australia and was excited at the lowance is a means-tested sup- The western ground parrot is one of the world’s to earn money, penalising them are expected to benefi t from this plementary payment to provide prospect of giving people compared to their city counter- “Importantly, young people change. rarest and most endangered birds and its remaining who are considered independent extra support for lower-income a taste of the drive-in cul- tiny population exists here on the South Coast. parts. ture during summer. may receive a higher rate of pay- Regional and remote students families with a secondary student It originally occupied WA coastal areas from will also be supported through a who boards away from home. “We trialled it in Sep- O’Connor MP Rick Wilson said ment because, unlike dependent Cape Arid to Dongara; however, the bird is now that from January 1, 2018, the recipients of Youth Allowance 50 per cent increase to the Assis- This is in addition to a non- tember just to test every- limited to the Fitzgerald and Cape Arid national tance for Isolated Children (AIC) thing out,” he said. workforce independence provi- or ABSTUDY Living Allow- means tested Basic Boarding 31 Hercules Crescent, Albany parks. sions for Youth Allowance and ance, their rate is not reduced Additional Boarding Allowance Allowance to contribute to the “We worked out a few Its exact population numbers are unknown, but ABSTUDY Living Allowance based on parental income,” Mr and the means-tested component costs of boarding a student away Showroom open 8am-5pm, Mon-Fri things. We had to raise it is thought no more than 140 individual birds will be reduced from 18 months Wilson said. of ABSTUDY Group 2 School from home. the screen by a metre so exist in the wild. to 14 months, benefiting this Fees Allowance. www.wardrobeworld.com.au Students will be able to prove For more information on these everyone could see over As its name suggests, the parrot is a ground- year’s Year 12 students.