Page 3195 - Week 10 - Thursday, 18 October 2007

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(b) The number of budgeted nursing positions at Calvary Public Hospital in August 2007 is 435.7 full time equivalents (FTE).

The number of vacancies in August 2007 is 45.0 FTE (10.3%).

Hospitals—iatrogenic injuries
(Question No 1658)

Mrs Burke asked the Minister for Health, upon notice, on 23 August 2007 (redirected to the Acting Minister for Health):

(1) How many incidences of iatrogenic injury have occurred at both ACT public hospitals during the (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05, (d) 2005-06 and 2006-07;

(2) How many of the cases outlined in part (1) escalated to litigation and what was the cost to the ACT Government.

Mr Corbell: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) “Iatrogenic injury”, as defined by the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care, is any injury “arising from or associated with health care rather than an underlying disease or injury”.

In its first annual report on safety and quality in the Australian health care system the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Heath Care reported that Australia has a serious adverse events rate of about 2% associated with hospital admissions. Of these events 1.7% were associated with serious iatrogenic disability and 0.3% associated with an iatrongenic death (Runciman et al 2000)

Due to the difficulty in ascertaining if an injury is iatrogenic in combination with the lack of nationally agreed defined methodology for such data, ACT Health is unable to provide this information.

(2) Unable to provide information due to no data available as outlined in part (1).

Universities admissions index
(Question No 1662) (Revised answer)

Mrs Dunne asked the Minister for Education and Training, upon notice, on 23 August 2007:

(1) In relation to the process used by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS) to calculate ACT Universities Admission Indexes (UAIs) as set out in the current 2007 edition of the BSSS Policy and Procedures Manual (the Manual), why does the Manual not contain any details of the changes to the UAI calculation process that were made in late 2006, as reported in The Canberra Times on 20 December 2006 and 28 April 2007;

(1) Are there any plans to amend the Manual to explain the changes referred to in part (1); if not, why not;


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