Page 1822 - Week 05 - Thursday, 16 May 2019
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season is well underway, with the bed capacity having been identified in last year’s budget as well so that the number of beds can be flexed up and down as required throughout the winter flu season.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, can you assure the Canberra community that the Canberra health system is properly prepared for a bad flu season?
MS FITZHARRIS: Yes. The advice to me is that Canberra Health Services are undertaking the planning, as they always do, for the winter flu season, as is ACT Health. That includes the capacity to open more beds over the winter flu season to account for the likelihood that we will see an increase in presentations due to influenza.
MR HANSON: Minister, how can the community be assured that you are not using the flu season as an excuse for capacity problems in the ACT hospital system? Will you break down the data to demonstrate which are specifically the flu and which are other presentations?
MS FITZHARRIS: As Mr Hanson would know as a long-serving former opposition spokesperson on health, presentations to hospitals can be very complex. I will certainly be able to provide data on the impact of the flu season, as instances of flu as notified to ACT Health are publicly reported throughout the winter season.
Canberra Hospital—radiology department
MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. I refer to media reports of 25 April that offsite medical imaging provider Everlight has been paid more than $1.5 million so far this year. This is more than the company was paid by Canberra Health Services for the whole of last year. Why has Everlight been paid so much money during 2019?
MS FITZHARRIS: Because we have increased the volume of reporting done through Everlight for this period.
MRS JONES: Minister, how much have the “cultural issues” in the Canberra Hospital medical imaging department contributed to this increased outsourcing?
MS FITZHARRIS: That cannot be quantified.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, what recommendations did the independent culture review panel make about medical imaging in their letter to you after the report was delivered?
MS FITZHARRIS: The letter to me from the panel did not include specific recommendations.
Municipal services—cycle and footpath upgrades
MS CHEYNE: My question is to the Minister for City Services: what does last week’s announcement about cycling and footpath upgrades mean for the ACT?
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