Along with the Secretary of the Department of Health and the Coordinator General, I’ll be at the Tramsheds Function Centre at Inveresk this evening for the Launceston forum.

This is an opportunity for the community to, again, participate in a broad discussion about the health system, hear about the progress of important developments in health, and ask questions.

I’ve been conducting public forums every year to inform our overhaul of the health system and our extra funding.

The Hodgman Government is delivering on our plan to build a better health system, and to ensure we continue to achieve, it is vital we continue to consult with experts, health stakeholders and consumers on how best to deliver this.

That’s exactly what we’ve been doing and will continue to do.

We undertook the most thorough consultation on our health system ever when we came to government in 2014, complete with public forums right across the state.

We also took detailed submissions from consumers, key groups, and individual health professionals, including doctors, nurses, allied health staff, kitchen staff and cleaners who work in hospitals.

And since being re-elected, I meet regularly with a number of stakeholders to continue the conversation about our health system – including the staff in our hospitals, professional groups, colleges, and importantly, members of the Tasmanian community.

Over the past few weeks I have been working with the Department of Health to organise these forums, which are being held in Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie.

I welcome feedback from Tasmanians about what is working well in our health system and what we could be doing better.

We are committed to delivering the best possible health system to make Tasmanians’ lives better. That is why we will never stop listening as we go about our task of rebuilding our health system.

The Launceston General Hospital recently achieved accreditation from the Australian Council of Healthcare Standards and received some really positive feedback, including the hospital being named one of the cleanest hospitals in Australia. This is testament to our hardworking staff and our dedicated cleaners at the hospital, and is a reminder that the public can have full confidence in our health system to deliver safe and professional care.

The Tasmanian Government is investing more than ever before in health and delivering our long-term plan, which includes more buildings, more beds, more staff and more services. We do not want to see people waiting too long for care.

Last week, we announced some improvements to our health plan in response to increasing demand, which is being felt nationwide.

Changes including improvements to the Royal Hobart Hospital Redevelopment, 12 new mental health Hospital in the Home beds and a brand new mental health facility at St John’s Park atNew Town.

Staff are doing a remarkable job dealing with periods of high demand, but it is important we continue to act to support staff and deliver a health system Tasmanians deserve.

We have a number of initiatives on track, including the redevelopment of Ward 4K and the state’s first child and adolescent mental health beds.

Major excavation of the new Women’s and Children’s precinct site at the Launceston General Hospital is now complete and building work is progressing well.

The Ward 4K redevelopment will provide a new 36-bed contemporary facility, which will include Tasmania’s first dedicated Adolescent Mental Health Unit, along with a number of specialist clinics.

Within the unit, there will be six single-bed rooms designed to meet contemporary adolescent mental health care requirements. There will also be a separate lounge, dining and outdoor areas for patients.

Refurbishing the ward will mean the facilities meet the latest in modern standards and ensure the highest quality healthcare services are available to patients.

Structural work has also begun for a 38-space undercover car park below the extension.

The relocation of the Women’s and Children’s antenatal and postnatal outpatient clinics, which currently operate in Ward 3D, will free up space in the hospital for up to 32 more inpatient beds.

The children’s ward remains fully functional during the construction project.

The first stage of the project, including the adolescent mental health facilities, is on track for completion in 2019.

The government’s major capital investment means we have been able to expand the scope of works included in the project. Construction works to complete the broader precinct are expected to be completed in the first half of 2020.

The public forum at the Tramsheds will run from 6pm to 7.30pm today. For more information, email amber.whatman@health.tas.gov.au or call 6166 3679.