Page 2349 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
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Health—children’s services
(Question No 2996)
Mrs Dunne asked the Minister for Health, upon notice, on 8 May 2020:
(1) Are public health services currently being offered for children in the ACT and; if so, what services are being offered as of the date the question was published in the Questions on Notice Paper.
(2) Have any child health services been suspended as a result of COVID-19; if so, when are they likely to reopen.
(3) Will all children with valid referrals to see a paediatrician be placed back on the waiting list for that particular service.
(4) How long are waiting lists for children’s health services in the ACT for each service and what is the median wait time for each list.
(5) What elective surgery is currently available for ACT children and what types of elective surgery are currently not available.
(6) When is it likely that elective surgery will resume in those areas where it is not available.
Ms Stephen-Smith: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Canberra Health Services (CHS) temporarily reduced some non-urgent and non-essential outpatient services to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
Urgent children’s services such as the Early Childhood Immunisation Clinic, Child at Risk Health Services and Maternal and Child Health Nursing service continued to be offered in a combination of face-to-face appointments, telehealth and by phone.
(2) Yes, some non-essential and non-urgent outpatient services were temporarily suspended as a result of the COVID-19 response.
With relaxation of some COVID-19 restrictions, the implementation of telehealth and changes to waiting and clinic rooms, CHS has gradually resumed non-admitted services including the prioritisation of the four to six-month developmental checks for cancelled appointments and the Children’s Hearing Service.
(3) Yes.
(4) The current number of children on the waiting list for children’s health services are detailed below in Table 4A, with median wait times indicated in Table 4B.
Table 4A
Table 4A shows the total number of paediatric patients (those aged 16 years and under) as at 30 June 2020 awaiting initial appointments across Canberra Health Services.
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