Page 4030 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014

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In terms of resources for the hospital, since 2011-12 the government has invested in excess of $10 million in women’s, youth and children’s services across a range of initiatives and that has been to help meet demand. This has included an extra bed for neonatal intensive care, an extra bed for paediatric inpatients, an extra paediatric day surgery bed, expansion of the of the delivery suite in the birthing centre by an additional bed, and expansion of the maternity assessment unit by an additional bed.

I hope that this speech today has indicated to members just how seriously this issue is being treated and has been treated right throughout the last year, particularly since September, when fresh concerns were raised with management.

As part of the amendment, I have agreed to table no later than 5 December 2014 a summary of all the action that has been taken. It will largely focus on the information I have provided today, but I think now we have to accept that managers and staff in the unit need to get on and work through these issues, together with the college.

The outcome we are seeking is a workplace where people feel supported in their work, the continuation of a high level of service to women and babies across the region and, most importantly, continued high quality medical outcomes for all patients of the unit.

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (10.32): I am pleased to talk about this today because I have certainly been aware of the reports in the media recently. I think it is legitimate that these things are discussed in the Assembly because I know there are those in the community who have concerns about this. It is hard not to have genuine concerns about outcomes for patients or consumers when there is so much noise about the management and cultural problems in a specific unit of the hospital, and more so when this unit is the maternity unit. But I have not seen the concerns that have been expressed manifest in anything presented to date.

The media and opposition have both been loudly critical of the recent developments relating to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists—RANZCOG—report and consideration of the accreditation of the unit as a training hospital. I admit that I have had cause to discuss these issues with the Chief Minister as well, due to both the media reports and the nature of those reports, and I certainly appreciated being able to have that discussion in some detail.

Noting that I have only heard of the findings of the RANZCOG report accreditation review and, like the opposition, have not actually read the report, what I have heard appears to be a concerning development. While not directly related, it carries some reflections of the issues which were raised in the review into service delivery and clinical outcomes at public maternity units in the ACT four years ago and which have been raised occasionally since.

The 2010 review was conducted by a panel of four independent reviewers, including representatives from the Australian College of Midwives, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators, and highlighted some clear staff performance issues. The 2010 review raised 31 recommendations, and the health minister agreed or partially agreed to all of those recommendations.


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