Page 3159 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019

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expansion of the Calvary hospital emergency department. We have made additional expansions in capacity across the hospitals.

Canberra Health Services is also implementing the timely care strategy, on which, in my first week as health minister in this place, I offered Mrs Dunne a briefing. When she finally gets around to attending that briefing in October, she will hear that Canberra Health Services continues to work on its timely care strategy. Several initiatives have already been implemented, including daily multidisciplinary staff ward huddles, hospital-wide flow management meetings, strategies to reduce barriers to discharge, and identifying and discharging appropriate patients early. Working groups are continuing to refresh and refocus systems and processes by using a whole-of-government approach, including looking more and more closely at the data that is available, and at how those processes are managed. I look forward to Mrs Dunne having that briefing.

University of Canberra Hospital—hydrotherapy pool

MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, how much time exactly, and at what times of the day, is the hydrotherapy pool at the University of Canberra Public Hospital made available for use by clients of organisations such as Arthritis ACT?

MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mrs Jones for the question. I will take the detail of that question on notice but I know, from my visit to the University of Canberra Hospital recently and visiting the pool and talking to managers, that there have been conversations with Arthritis ACT about extending the hours at which that pool is available into the evening.

MRS JONES: Minister, has the Canberra Health Services discussed with Arthritis ACT whether the availability of the pool at the University of Canberra public hospital meets their needs? If so, what were the agreed outcomes?

MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I will be getting another update on hydrotherapy later this week. There were a number of conversations about it last week. I will take the detail of that question on notice but I do know that there is an ongoing conversation between Canberra Health Services and Arthritis ACT.

Mrs Jones: Point of order.

Ms Stephen-Smith: I have taken the question on notice, Mrs Dunne.

Mrs Jones: I am Mrs Jones. The point of order goes to relevance.

Ms Stephen-Smith: I don’t see how you can have relevance when I’ve taken the question on notice.

Mrs Jones: If I could make my point of order, you might be able to have an opinion about it.


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