Page 1093 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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(d) that from the 55 indicators contained in the quarterly report, that 52% show improvements from last year, 33% show a decline from last year, 4% show results lower than last year but better than the national target results and 11% are not performance measures and simply include activity changes; and
(e) that the reason for the decline in median waiting time is explained in the quarterly report and is due to the extra focus that has been placed on undertaking extended wait patients; and
(2) calls on the Minister for Health to:
(a) acknowledge that waiting times for patients seeking elective surgery and Emergency Department treatment have deteriorated;
(b) acknowledge that other outcomes measured in the report have also deteriorated;
(c) provide a more accurate and honest summation of public health services in the Minister’s Forward to ACT Health quarterly performance reports and accompanying press releases; and
(d) investigate developing outcome measures to be reported in annual and quarterly reports, and report back to the Assembly by the first sitting week in August 2011.”.
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (4.01): The opposition will be supporting Ms Bresnan’s amendment. Essentially, what it does is incorporate into my motion some of the positive outcomes from the report, and I have no concerns with that. I have not denied that there are positive outcomes in the report and, indeed, I welcome those positive outcomes. The concern that I have had has been the one-sided cherry picking spin that is being conducted by the minister to present a false view to the public through her press release and her minister’s foreword, not with the fact that there are not some both good and bad outcomes in the report. That is the point. I think that it is unnecessary, given the intent of this motion, to put some of those statements in there but, having said that, I am comfortable because it does in the main achieve the intent of what I am trying to get through here.
Ms Bresnan has also put in an extra clause that the government would be required to investigate developing outcome measures to be reported in annual and quarterly reports. I think that that is appropriate also. I think that it is worth while having a look at what further outcome measures could be measured. I indicate that the opposition will support Ms Bresnan’s amendment to Ms Gallagher’s amendment.
Ms Bresnan’s amendment to Ms Gallagher’s proposed amendment agreed to.
Ms Gallagher’s amendment, as amended, agreed to.
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (4.04): In closing the debate, I thank members for their contributions today. Our health system is not all good and it is not all bad. I think that there are mixed outcomes. I think there are some tremendous professionals working
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