Page 1804 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 2 May 2012
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… unusual movements of patients’ priority changes occurred; for example, reclassifications (usually a downgrade) of a number of patients’ classification in one day and several changes of a patient’s clinical urgency category within a short period of time …
In question time yesterday you stated that the discrepancies in the emergency department statistics were picked up by the external AIHW validation process. Minister, why are such serious problems with your directorate’s administration only identified by external sources such as the Auditor-General and AIHW?
MS GALLAGHER: In this instance they both have. The issue with the elective surgery was one around documentation. I do not think there was any allegation of any wrongdoing performed by staff to actually change that data. Whilst there were downgrades, there were also upgrades, including a number of upgrades where the documentation was not provided as well. I have provided numerous reports to the Assembly about the implementation of those recommendations in the Auditor-General’s report.
My understanding in terms of why it was picked up initially by the AIHW is that it is the format in which that data was put in order to report over a specific period of time that identified a problem. The AIHW did not identify how it was being done and what was being done. That was through Health’s own processes that were implemented.
I would also say that the internal processes in Health do pick up data anomalies from time to time.
Mr Hanson: So there is more?
MS GALLAGHER: Mr Hanson, as you would know, in the last sitting I tabled some data corrections around unplanned returns to theatre. A statement was provided around that. So there are situations, if there are issues. There have been no issues identified with staff deliberately manipulating data before this one was picked up. Whilst the issue was picked up by the AIHW, they raised a question. Health went back and actually identified the problem themselves.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Seselja.
MR SESELJA: Minister, given it was identified that there were not robust processes in place in January 2011 to identify problems with elective surgery administration and given the seriousness of the problems identified then, why was there no review of processes in other areas like the emergency department?
MS GALLAGHER: Again, I think the issue is that Health do have internal processes, and, where problems are identified, those can be responded to. The issue in relation to this one in particular is that an individual, as it is alleged at this point in time, went outside and deliberately went around those safeguards and those processes in order to deliver a particular outcome. As I said yesterday, I think you can have a range of safeguards in place, you can have all your internal and external checks in place, but, if
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