Page 3698 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 September 2019
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3) Yes. The decision to provide bottled water to patients at Canberra Hospital, in place of jugs filled with potable water, was not undertaken lightly nor without significant research into the impact it would have both clinically and environmentally.
The use of water jugs requires considerable human and financial resources to ensure their integrity, taking into account how they are used. They require significant resources to:
• refill on a regular basis;
• transport;
• monitor their serviceability; and
• sanitise.
In addition to this, in the past at Canberra Hospital, a considerable number of water jugs and tumblers were misappropriated from the hospital, again at a significant expense to the hospital on top of those vessels having to be destroyed due to contamination and misuse.
The methods used to provide water to patients at Canberra’s public hospitals are aligned to the applicable clinical circumstances.
As of 2018-19, identified savings using bottled water as opposed to using potable water in water jugs was estimated at $141,000 per annum for Canberra Health Services, excluding overheads (vessel purchase and replacement costs).
Canberra Health Services is continuously reviewing water bottle consumption based on patient safety, economics and sustainable environmental practices.
4) At Canberra Hospital:
a. Nil.
b. Nil.
c. Not applicable.
d. Not applicable.
At University of Canberra Hospital:
a. Water jugs and drinking glasses.
b. Not applicable, food services, including water, is delivered by the facilities management contractor, BGIS.
c. Not applicable, food services, including water, is delivered by the facilities management contractor, BGIS.
e. All waste is disposed of via the appropriate waste stream.
Drinking vessels used at Calvary include paper cups, multi-use plastic vessels and water jugs. It is estimated about 1,200 vessels are purchased each year at a cost around $8 per vessel, meaning an annual cost around $9600. Used vessels are recycled when they reach the end of their useable life. Calvary operates 31 waste management streams to ensure waste to landfill is minimised.
Municipal services—playgrounds
(Question No 2592)
Ms Lawder asked the Minister for Transport and City Services, upon notice, on 2 August 2019 (redirected to the Minister for City Services):
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