Page 419 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
we have seen an increase, but it is something that we need to remain vigilant on. The hospital certainly does that, and the fact that the data is available on the MyHospitals website and other reports will continue to improve performance.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, do you not consider that these issues with poor handwashing are failures in the system?
MS GALLAGHER: The system is actually to provide all of the supports to encourage hand hygiene, but you cannot force everyone to do that—every visitor to the hospital, every staff member every time they visit a different patient. The system response is to have the infrastructure in place, the training in place, to support staff and the education in place to encourage visitors to the hospital to wash their hands as well. Whenever I visit the hospital, when I walk in there is a hand hygiene area just at the entrance to the hospital. Whilst I stop to do that, I see many people walk by.
The system infrastructure is there. Actually getting individuals to follow that is a little bit harder. But yes; we are doing everything we can. When the Canberra Hospital has not performed strongly in hand hygiene audits, which are also reported on the MyHospitals website, we have focused on and put more investment into educating staff, in particular, about the importance of hand hygiene. I do not think that is failure of the system. That is actually the system supporting individuals to take part in the hand hygiene that is required in a busy public hospital.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, why has the Canberra Hospital only met handwashing targets in two out of the last seven audits conducted since 2011?
MS GALLAGHER: I understand there have been issues with the data collection around hand hygiene but we have used these audits as a way of driving improved compliance with handwashing procedures. One of the most important things to get right in a hospital is to make sure that you are encouraging good hygiene and good infection control. In a busy hospital, in a place where, in most hospitals, it has only been in recent years that the efforts have been put in—
Mr Hanson: Is there a staff culture problem there with washing hands?
MS GALLAGHER: No, I do not think there is a staff culture problem but I think, in a busy hospital, to remind staff throughout the day that they need to continually wash their hands is important. And that is the response that we have used. Where there have been failures or lack of compliance noted in audits, we have gone back to those areas and informed them of the results and put in new effort around improving hand hygiene. That is exactly what the health performance agency was after in terms of reporting statistics like this, to drive continued performance, and that is what you will see and that is what you will continue to see.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video