Page 2675 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 21 September 2022
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We do take these things very seriously. I do see my role as Minister in this government as a privilege. I think every MLA is privileged to hold these roles, and I believe every MLA has a responsibility to advocate for those people with whom they speak. And if they understand that an individual is reaching out for support, they have a responsibility to seek to try to get that person additional support, recognising that not everyone has the same contacts and not everybody is going to respond in the same way.
Absolutely, I take my responsibility seriously, and that is why we are continuing to do this work and to escalate this work.
MS CLAY (Ginninderra) (3.54): I rise to deliver some comments from Mr Davis, who has been called away on an urgent matter. He wanted to make sure that I read these into the record for him.
The loss of a child leaves an empty space in the hearts of their family and friends, and it can never be filled. It is the worst thing. Not a day will go by that the families of those children will not grieve for someone who was so loved. My thoughts are with those families, and I hope they are receiving the support they need during this awful time.
I know from the many conversations I have had with nurses and clinical staff at Canberra Hospital over the past year and a half, that what they do there is more than just a job. It is a calling. It is a vocation. They want to provide the best quality care they can to support the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community.
That is why, when there is a tragic outcome such as this, it is so important that there are reviews, inquiries and coronial inquests into what occurred. The families of the children and the healthcare workers, and the management at Canberra Hospital, will want to know why this happened and what could have been done differently to prevent the loss of life.
Sometimes a seemingly healthy person becomes sick very quickly and the outcome cannot be foreseen. Sometimes a person with known health conditions experiences an additional illness or a complication that deteriorates unexpectedly fast. In any case, clinicians having access to information about a person’s history and current symptoms and treatment is critically important to providing the right care at the right time.
I appreciate hearing from Minister Stephen-Smith about the various systems in place that help detect and alert clinicians. It is also good to hear that the Digital Health Record will add to Canberra Hospital’s ability to give clinicians the information they need to make good decisions quickly.
I have heard from Minister Davidson, who attended the “60-day go live readiness” assessment for the DHR last week, and that ACT Health, CHS and Calvary are making remarkable progress towards this major new system being implemented later this year. That includes the paediatric team at Canberra Hospital.
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