Ms CARNEY - 2005-06-30
The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards recently included the Tennant Creek and Alice Springs Hospitals in its list of the nation’s 26 worst hospitals. These hospitals received a high priority rating allocated when patient and/or staff care is compromised, and when there is no evidence of improvement in care since the previous assessment. As you know, the assessments were based on a range of criteria, including patient safety, infection control, the quality of equipment, and adequate staffing. Minister, did you know that these hospitals had been given this rating prior to the election? What confidence can people attending these hospitals have in light of these ratings? If people feel their safety is at risk, will government pay to fly these patients interstate?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is quite clear that the member for Araluen’s campaign to talk down our hospitals is alive and well and continuing. The publicity surrounding the accreditation of our hospitals that appeared in The Australian about a week ago has been completely rebutted by the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care. The journalist concerned has basically taken two and two and come up with seven. They have gone to the report on the web site and assumed that because a high priority recommendation was put on two of our hospitals that that in some way branded them as very bad hospitals.
It is important for members to understand what the accreditation process involves. First of all, it is entered into voluntarily. Therefore, all five of our hospitals have chosen to go into a quality and safety process which is ongoing and is never completed. At the moment, we have accredited status in all five of our hospitals, which is a huge achievement by our staff in those hospitals. I commend them for it. However, the process of review will continue.
When the last assessment was done at Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs in particular, there were three high priority recommendations made. There were two at Alice Springs. One was that the admitting doctor should sign off on the patient’s documentation to allow it to be traced back to the initial assessment. The other was to increase staffing in the Intensive Care and High Dependency Units. Since those high priority recommendations were presented to the hospital, both have been acted on. We have announced $11m of additional staffing to that ICU/HDU area. There is now full coverage of intensivists and anaesthetists. We are still having some difficulty in obtaining permanent critical care nurses in there. That process of recruitment is continuing. However, we have fully responded to that recommendation.
In terms of Tennant Creek, it was the fire safety of the building that was detailed in the recommendation. That has been funded. It has been designed and the work will commence any moment.
It is quite fallacious and, in fact, the journalist and The Australian have now been publicly rebutted by the council saying that they had absolutely no basis to make the assertions they did. Our hospitals are safe. Their capacity is being built day by day. I commend the work of our hospitals. I can assure Territorians that they have a safe and very good service.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is quite clear that the member for Araluen’s campaign to talk down our hospitals is alive and well and continuing. The publicity surrounding the accreditation of our hospitals that appeared in The Australian about a week ago has been completely rebutted by the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care. The journalist concerned has basically taken two and two and come up with seven. They have gone to the report on the web site and assumed that because a high priority recommendation was put on two of our hospitals that that in some way branded them as very bad hospitals.
It is important for members to understand what the accreditation process involves. First of all, it is entered into voluntarily. Therefore, all five of our hospitals have chosen to go into a quality and safety process which is ongoing and is never completed. At the moment, we have accredited status in all five of our hospitals, which is a huge achievement by our staff in those hospitals. I commend them for it. However, the process of review will continue.
When the last assessment was done at Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs in particular, there were three high priority recommendations made. There were two at Alice Springs. One was that the admitting doctor should sign off on the patient’s documentation to allow it to be traced back to the initial assessment. The other was to increase staffing in the Intensive Care and High Dependency Units. Since those high priority recommendations were presented to the hospital, both have been acted on. We have announced $11m of additional staffing to that ICU/HDU area. There is now full coverage of intensivists and anaesthetists. We are still having some difficulty in obtaining permanent critical care nurses in there. That process of recruitment is continuing. However, we have fully responded to that recommendation.
In terms of Tennant Creek, it was the fire safety of the building that was detailed in the recommendation. That has been funded. It has been designed and the work will commence any moment.
It is quite fallacious and, in fact, the journalist and The Australian have now been publicly rebutted by the council saying that they had absolutely no basis to make the assertions they did. Our hospitals are safe. Their capacity is being built day by day. I commend the work of our hospitals. I can assure Territorians that they have a safe and very good service.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016