Govt funds measures to improve hospital flows from ED

The ACT budget has committed to permanently double the number of beds in the acute medical unit to 24.

Patients from the emergency department who need acute care can be admitted to the unit where a team is able to assess the treatment or care needed. People can be admitted for up to 48 hours.

It's part of a $31 million package over four years to improve patient flow through the hospital.

The government has also provided extra funding to an operations command centre which uses the territory's digital health record to map a patient's journey through the system.

The government will also invest $12 million over the next two years into supporting safe care in maternity services.

The investment will include an expansion of the fetal medicine unit, increased resources for the early pregnancy unit and support for obstetrics and gynaecology services.

Maternity has faced several troubles over recent years, with midwives warning of "critical shortcomings" and issues with training accreditation.

Total health funding is expected to increase by 13 per cent to $2.6 billion, with the increased expenditure contributing to a higher deficit.

Another $12 million is expected to be spent this year on transitioning North Canberra Hospital, which was taken over by Canberra Health Services last year.

"This work includes coordination of commercial and legal matters, transition of ICT systems and project and financial management support for these activities," budget papers say.

The budget has also revealed the rollout of five new government health centres will not be completed until later this decade.

WHAT ELSE HEALTH GETS THIS BUDGET:

There has been $52 million allocated to the new centres in the budget. This will include the construction of centres in Casey and in the Inner South and money for design work for a centre in west Belconnen.

Labor promised five new health centres in the 2020 election, which were due to be rolled out between 2021-22 and the middle of the decade. Only one centre has opened.

The budget shows the centre are not expected to be completed until 2028.

New centres were promised in south Tuggeranong, west Belconnen, the inner south, Molonglo and north Gungahlin.

The government will also plan the next stages of the Canberra Hospital expansion over the next year with $4 million allocated to that.

Nurse-to-patient ratios will be expanded across more wards in Canberra's public hospitals, including maternity, the neonatal intensive care unit, cancer services, intensive car, emergency departments and palliative care.

An extra 137 nurses and midwives will be employed to meet these ratios.

Budget papers show this will cost $83 million. Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it would take 18 months to implement and the papers show most of the funding is allocated from the 2025-26 year with only $9.6 million set aside in 2024-25.