Page 3063 - Week 08 - Thursday, 25 June 2009
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representative union body and recognising that more mature nurses are not physically able to do night shifts on a frequent basis. Staff do not necessarily need more money; they need some flexibility and respect.
Recommendation 57 from the estimates committee report asked how the ACT government allocation of $12 million over four years for GP workforce initiatives would improve GP numbers. The government response to this recommendation does seem to indicate that the initiatives will not so much increase numbers as try to maintain the status quo. It may be the case that, given federal funding schemes for GPs, the best the ACT government can do is to try and maintain those numbers. We are expecting to see a big increase in GP numbers in the coming years as the flowthrough of an increase in medical students comes on line. But, even then, the ACT may not have enough GPs.
There is much to be said for creating more tiers in our health professional system. Small practices in rural and regional areas have been doing this for some time and perhaps it is something we could learn from them. I note ACT Health has just released its GP discussion paper and that submissions close on 31 July. The contents and points raised look good and I look forward to hearing about the submissions and seeing some of this feed into the committee inquiry into primary healthcare.
While engaging in this issue with the public and coming up with recommendations, we also need to recognise the work coming out of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, as this commission may have a much greater impact on the primary healthcare sector than we at the Legislative Assembly level can have.
In regard to the proposed purchase of Calvary, the Greens believe it is better to have public health facilities under public ownership and we support the government’s proposed purchase of Calvary. We appreciate the difficult situation in which the government is placed in regard to consultations, as the Little Company of Mary did ask the ACT government to keep the sale under wraps for the time being. But, given that the information is now out there, perhaps it is better to start consulting with consumers of Calvary services and staff about Calvary’s future, and by doing so we can ease any concerns they may have.
The upcoming debate about efficiencies will also be a testing time for the government. Within health, around $6 million per annum will have to be earmarked for savings. I would expect consultation to start occurring shortly with both staff and consumer representatives. I appreciate that not everybody’s wishes will be able to be met; there is just not enough money for that.
There is a line that we cannot cross and that is the community sector line. Community health organisations are already running on the tightest of funds, being asked to do more with less as demand goes up and serving the most vulnerable people in our society. The Minister for Health has not made it clear whether or not community health organisations will be included in the efficiencies drive but she did say during the estimates that “we have to be considerate of our expectations of community organisations as we roll out the indexation arrangements”. From that, I take the impression that for the financial year 2009-10 the government will still hold
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