As demand for health services has increased, so too has energy consumption. Several programs have operated for over a decade which aim to improve energy efficiency. Greater consideration has also been given to the environment and energy use in health service capital works. There is an expectation that efficiencies in health service energy use will be achieved.
Victorian public sector facilities account for around 1.5 per cent of Victoria’s total electricity and gas consumption. The sector's largest users are healthcare providers—health services and hospitals—which account for around 26 per cent of public sector energy consumption.
Figure 1A
Energy use distribution in the Victorian public sector
Victorian public sector facilities account for around 1.5 per cent of Victoria’s total electricity and gas consumption. The sector's largest users are healthcare providers—health services and hospitals—which account for around 26 per cent of its total energy consumption.
Most metropolitan hospitals and some regional hospitals are large facilities that have high levels of energy use. This is because of their continuous operating requirements, use of energy intensive medical equipment, infection and temperature control, and on‑site services such as kitchens and laundries.
Ordered to be printed
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER September 2012
PP No 165, Session 2010–12
In accordance with section 16(3) of the Audit Act 1994 a copy of this report was provided to the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services with a request for submissions or comments.
The submission and comments provided are not subject to audit nor the evidentiary standards required to reach an audit conclusion. Responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of those comments rests solely with the agency head.
Responses were received as follows:
As the population ages and the prevalence of chronic disease and disability increases, supporting carers to maintain their role becomes increasingly important. Supports therefore need to effectively achieve their objectives. The Department of Health, the Department of Human Services and service providers also need to recognise carers by involving them in policy and program development, and service planning and provision.
Carers play a vital role in the community and need support to maintain this role. This requires community awareness of the supports that exist and for carers to understand how to access them. Access processes should be transparent and equitable, and supports should be flexible and responsive to carer needs.
A carer is someone who cares for a relative, partner or friend on an unpaid, informal basis. They may care for someone who is aged, has a disability or mental illness, is terminally ill, or for a related child who can no longer live with their parents. A carer who supports a person in most of their daily activities, such as dressing, eating or social activities, is called a ‘primary carer’.
A carer is someone who cares for a relative, partner or friend on an unpaid, informal basis. Carers enable many people to remain living in their homes and communities. This also reduces the financial burden on the health and human services systems. In 2010, Carers Australia estimated that informal carers provided $40.9 billion in care services nationally. In Victoria, there are over 700 000 informal carers, including 194 000 ‘primary carers’, providing support to someone for most of their daily living activities.