Page 4850 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 27 November 2018

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and they have never supported them. It just shows how out of touch they are when it comes to the healthcare needs of Canberrans. Canberrans cannot trust that the Canberra Liberals would keep these centres open. It is time for the Liberals to admit that they were wrong and to support our walk-in centres that have been so clearly embraced by our community.

Canberra Hospital—radiology department

MRS KIKKERT: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. In November 2017 and February 2018 a number of doctors in the Canberra Hospital radiology department made public interest disclosures about their department. The first disclosure was made on 3 November last year. ACT Health decided in October 2018 that four of the complaints might amount to disclosable conduct and would be investigated further. It is claimed that one of the public interest disclosures was incorrectly classified as spam and that was why the Deputy Director-General of ACT Health did not see it. Why did it take 11 months to acknowledge that four of the complaints in the public interest disclosures amounted to disclosable conduct?

MS FITZHARRIS: As members opposite are aware, while these matters are the subject of some media reporting and obviously questioning by the opposition, that does not mean that I am able to divulge details of those. In fact, as members will also be aware, a number of those matters would not be brought to my attention. So I cannot answer those questions.

MRS KIKKERT: Minister, why did it take so long for ACT Health to recognise the seriousness of the first public interest disclosures lodged by doctors in November last year?

MS FITZHARRIS: I do not believe that it did. They have subsequently been the subject of extensive investigation.

MRS DUNNE: Minister, what processes have ACT Health and the Canberra Hospital put in place to ensure that such important messages are not lost and are given more timely consideration in the future?

MS FITZHARRIS: The necessary processes.

Canberra Hospital—radiology department

MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the minister for health. I refer to claims in the media on 13 September that there is a backlog in processing CT scans for outpatients at the Canberra Hospital due to a shortage of radiologists. Is there still a backlog in processing CT scans for Canberra Hospital outpatient clinics and, if so, why?

MS FITZHARRIS: I do not believe so, no.

MR MILLIGAN: Minister, what impact did the backlog in processing CT scans for outpatients at the Canberra Hospital have on clinical care?


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