10
Services Profile
Health impacts on the community are anticipated to be felt as a direct result of increases in extreme
events, increases in temperature, decreases in rainfall and increases in sea-level. There is a relatively
higher proportion of people in the Western Adelaide living with chronic diseases and psychological
distress, which may be exacerbated by conditions associated with climate change. With the predicted
increase in heat wave events, hospital admissions and emergency department presentations associated
with heat wave events are anticipated to increase in the years ahead.
There is likely to be an increase in the volume of patients as well as a change in the patient demography
and health issues. The Study Area has a high incidence of groups that are potentially vulnerable to
climate change, including the elderly, students, unemployed, and people of different ethnic backgrounds.
Rates of GP Services in Western Adelaide are above average, and are particularly high in Port Adelaide
Enfield. Rates of most forms of mental health services in Western Adelaide are generally below average,
and in most cases are lowest in Port Adelaide Enfield.
A wide range of public, private and not-for-profit services are located in the Western Adelaide. While a
number of these services operate regionally from a central location or are scattered across a range of
neighbourhoods, the targeted health and community support services appear to be concentrated in the
north west of the region, where there are higher proportions of residents requiring additional support.
These organisations play different but supporting roles in emergency management. There are well
developed processes for managing existing emergencies in the region.
Recommendations
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Undertake more detailed analysis of vulnerable groups to ascertain the extent of need in the future.
On the supply side, health related infrastructure and services across the Study Area needs to be
examined in detail to assess its adequacy and reliability to cope with likely service demands
associated future climatic conditions.
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Closely monitor the development of the Zone Emergency Management Plan for Western Adelaide as
the WARCCAP project progresses, and that its directions inform the integrated vulnerability
assessment. It is important to assess the Zone Emergency Management Plan against the climate
projections contained within this report as well as risks and vulnerabilities articulated in subsequent
stages of the project. This will help to identify any gaps in emergency management planning.
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In order to fully understand the value of social infrastructure and services, Stage 2 of the WARCCAP
project should investigate social infrastructure and services in more detail including a full break down
of all asset valuations.
Governance
The Commonwealth, State and local governments each have direct responsibilities in relation to adapting
to climate change. The Commonwealth establishes national level policies and programs into which
States and local government initiatives are linked. The State Government sets the regulatory and policy
