Page 2623 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 10 August 2016
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there are the very significant reforms that we have delivered through the emergency department, the introduction of new work practices and new positions, such as the ED navigator, and a range of other important new positions that are improving work flow and improving patient flow and timeliness in our emergency department.
We have also significantly reformed the work practice and allocation of tasks for imaging services. Imaging services are a very important part of delivering hospital services. When you arrive in the ED, if you need an X-ray or a CT scan, how long it takes to get those scans dictates how long you stay in the emergency department. So we have slashed waiting times for CT scans, we have slashed waiting times for X-rays and we have slashed waiting times for MRI. That is dramatically improving performance across the hospital system.
We have also introduced very important reforms in access to elective surgery. We are using our existing infrastructure smarter. We are working across both the public and private sectors to utilise their surgery facilities, their operating theatre facilities, to make sure that we are making every effort to get people through elective surgery. The number of people on the elective surgery waiting list waiting longer than necessary has been slashed by over 70 per cent.
Those are the outcomes, the efficiencies, that we are achieving in our public hospital system. That means that our hospital system is becoming less expensive because more people are being seen with the same amount of resources. That is the difference between this side of the house and the other. (Time expired.)
Sport—ACTSport
MR HINDER: My question is to the Minister for Sport and Recreation. Minister, could you explain the significance of the CBR sport awards you recently announced?
MS BERRY: Thank you for the question, Mr Hinder. I know that Mr Hinder has a long involvement with the rugby community here in the ACT and we—
Mr Gentleman: Just look at his nose.
MS BERRY: certainly expect rugby—
MADAM SPEAKER: I think that is probably a personal reflection, Mr Gentleman, and you might need to withdraw it.
Members interjecting—
MS BERRY: I will continue, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: If you can.
MS BERRY: I know, of course, that he has a long involvement with the rugby community in Canberra and we can certainly expect rugby to feature in the new awards in the years ahead. It was great to be able to bring the Canberra sporting
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