Page 4053 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 24 October 1990
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MR HUMPHRIES: I think in general I would agree with the proposition Mr Wood puts; but I do not think, at the same time, that other schools should be excluded from commenting on issues. I am not aware of the circumstances to which Mr Wood refers. I do not know in what manner another school came to be asked to comment on a particular aspect of the schools reshaping project and I will inquire as to what it is that Mr Wood is referring to. Perhaps if he gives me details I will be able to follow that up. Generally speaking I would think the schools reshaping team ought to deal with those issues, but there may be occasions where others should do so. Obviously, Mr Hudson's inquiry is an example of that.
Hospital Services
MRS NOLAN: My question is also to Mr Humphries, this time in his capacity as Minister for Health. Can the Minister explain whether specialist hospital services will be adversely affected by transfer to temporary accommodation at the principal hospital site?
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Mrs Nolan for her question. Patient services transferred to the principal hospital site at Woden will not be adversely affected by the move into temporary accommodation, and I regret the many inaccurate statements that have been made about the issue, even by some medical practitioners. It is true that a group of some five to 10 doctors at Royal Canberra Hospital have voted to object to the fast tracking of services to the principal hospital site because of their perceived views of how services will operate from temporary buildings on that site.
I might point out that many other specialist medical staff at Royal Canberra are supportive of the move and are participating in consultations to ensure a smooth transfer of services. In other words, those particular doctors are very much a minority - a rather small minority, I might say - of doctors on that site. The services transferred to the principal hospital site will be located in high quality temporary buildings where patients will receive a comparable level of service to that they are currently receiving.
I have been advised that staffing levels, especially in the specialist service areas, will not decline. The majority of resident medical officer staff will be retained in their current positions next year. An active recruitment campaign for medical officers has also been very successful. I understand that specialist units moving to the principal hospital site will retain their specialised nursing components and will be more able to attract appropriate senior nursing staff because of the new principal hospital type arrangements.
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