Liberal health reforms reveal demand at LGH will grow by 9 per cent in four years

More than 8,800 people from the North are expected to experience first-episode psychosis in the next four years, almost 5,000 children will require assistance for mental health, more than 39,000 youth will require services, as will more than 29,000 elderly.

Meanwhile, Launceston General Hospital admissions are predicted to rise by 9 per cent to 2027, where 10,000 extra bed days a year will be needed compared to what exists now, and the emergency department will get busier.

Hospital admissions per 1,000 population are already highest across the state, with 243 admissions in the North, compared to 231 in the South and 211 in the North-West.

The data has been released as part of the consultation documents for the government's 20 year health reforms.

The Liberal government wants to see one single Tasmanian health service, removing the current three-tier system that includes the North, North-West and Southern regional services.

It has released its Long Term Plan for Healthcare in Tasmania 2040, which will focus on virtual digital technologies, home-care based options, and prevention.

The Clinical Services Profile for the North found that rates of psychological distress have increased across the decade, from 11.4 pr cent to 15 per cent in 2019.

The paper notes that access to health services is contributing to this higher risk of mental illness and suicide.

High rates of chronic disease such as mental health conditions, arthritis, asthma and diabetes have been highlighted in consultation documents released as part of This chronic disease burden is expected to increase due to the ageing population, and Northern Tasmanian risky lifestyle choices.

More than half of the population does eat enough fruit nor engage in physical activity, 13 per cent are smokers, almost 19 percent have a serious alcohol problem, 34 per cent drink enough to contribute to short-term harm and 62 per cent are obese.

"Our population is ageing and the burden of chronic disease in our community is growing. Risk factors for developing chronic disease are common," the paper said.

"Our Clinical Services Profile will help us to be well-placed to respond to anticipated increased health service demand. We will also place a focus on strategies that reduce the stigma associated with mental ill-health and increase access to appropriate and inclusive services."

The plan for managing increasing hospital demand includes increasing community based and home care rapid response services, and creating a central virtual care hub from repurposed community assets to manage these services.

"Care will be provided by a multidisciplinary team working collaboratively to deliver a range of healthcare services according to each patient's need. Care teams may consist of providers from both primary and hospital care and across various care organisations. We will repurpose community-based assets where required for delivery of central virtual care hubs."

Labor health spokeswoman Anita Dow accused the government of shifting the goalposts with their new reforms.

"In 2015 the Liberals revealed their vision to make Tasmania the healthiest state by 2025...the Liberals have clearly failed to realise their vision, and have only released this report to distract from their failures in health and racing," she said.

"With building a billion dollar stadium this Government's top priority, why should Tasmanians believe they will do better on health if given another chance?"

Australian Medical Association state president John Saul said there was a lot of common-sense, positive directions in the plan, including collaborative care models that use technology, but added help was needed now.

"I like the 'right time, right place, right care motto' however we need help right now. We need to deal with the current crisis in health and that is a problem for the next six months, not the next 26 years," he said.

He praised the GP training support program.

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