Page 4418 - Week 14 - Thursday, 28 November 2013

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under in moving from an old unit to the new unit, including implementing a new model of care, including seeing a huge spike in demand for services and including trying to encourage change amongst their workforce.

These are difficult initiatives for executives to manage. I do work very closely with them and I cannot speak highly enough of the leadership, both the clinical leadership and the administrative leadership in this area. Where there are ongoing issues in relation to workforce culture, those matters are being dealt with and dealt with appropriately.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.

MS LAWDER: Minister, could you explain a bit more about the reluctance of midwives to work within the birthing centre?

MS GALLAGHER: The birthing centre has traditionally been used by the community midwives program, which is separate to other areas of maternity services and maternity care at the hospital. It is a different client base, and we are moving to change that because the birthing centre suites have not been fully occupied. So we are integrating the two types of care currently. That was not the way when we started with the new Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, and that involves change. The midwives that work in the birthing centre have worked fairly autonomously in a small team since the birthing centre opened, and we are changing that to allow women who are not on the community midwives program the opportunity to birth in the birthing suite.

Hospitals—Centenary Hospital for Women and Children

MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, the review into the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children by Women’s Healthcare Australasia commissioned by you contains the following findings:

… birth rates in the CHWC in 2013 are likely to be close to the 2020 prediction.

And:

… the basic assumption of women [that] could be cared for in the Labour birthing postnatal recovery room is unachievable.

And:

… more detailed planning may have assisted in managing the demand.

Minister, given that many experts, including the ANF, warned that capacity was insufficient, why was more detailed planning not carried out?

MS GALLAGHER: Detailed planning was undertaken in implementing the new model of care in the new building.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.


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