Mr MILLS - 2008-09-10
Given that the Coroner’s report into the death of Mrs Winter found systematic failures at Royal Darwin Hospital between 2006 and 2007, do you have full confidence in your Minister for Health?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. The death of Mrs Winter was a tremendous tragedy. It was something that should not have occurred. I know my colleague, the Health Minister, has made an apology to the family of Mrs Winter.
What we have to do, as a result of this tragedy, is to implement the recommendations the Coroner made to ensure as much as possible this would never happen again. It is an absolute commitment, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the Health Minister, to ensure that those recommendations are implemented.
To that effect, today, my colleague, the Health Minister, has made a significant announcement regarding the direction that the department will implement, without delay, the nursing hours per patient day system. This is a system of allocating nurses by the hour to patients regarding the acuity of care that those patients need. To ensure that there is absolute commitment to doing that, the Health Minister has announced today that Professor Christine Duffield, an eminent expert in this area, is to provide independent oversight into the implementation of this system.
This is a Health Minister who has not only made a commitment to ensure that the recommendations of the Coroner are implemented, but one of the pre-eminent experts in this area in Australia will oversee the implementation of that new system, and the other four recommendations that the Coroner made will be implemented.
I have absolute confidence in my colleague, the Health Minister, to ensure that the recommendations the Coroner has made will be implemented and will be implemented thoroughly.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. The death of Mrs Winter was a tremendous tragedy. It was something that should not have occurred. I know my colleague, the Health Minister, has made an apology to the family of Mrs Winter.
What we have to do, as a result of this tragedy, is to implement the recommendations the Coroner made to ensure as much as possible this would never happen again. It is an absolute commitment, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the Health Minister, to ensure that those recommendations are implemented.
To that effect, today, my colleague, the Health Minister, has made a significant announcement regarding the direction that the department will implement, without delay, the nursing hours per patient day system. This is a system of allocating nurses by the hour to patients regarding the acuity of care that those patients need. To ensure that there is absolute commitment to doing that, the Health Minister has announced today that Professor Christine Duffield, an eminent expert in this area, is to provide independent oversight into the implementation of this system.
This is a Health Minister who has not only made a commitment to ensure that the recommendations of the Coroner are implemented, but one of the pre-eminent experts in this area in Australia will oversee the implementation of that new system, and the other four recommendations that the Coroner made will be implemented.
I have absolute confidence in my colleague, the Health Minister, to ensure that the recommendations the Coroner has made will be implemented and will be implemented thoroughly.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016