Page 6406 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991

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THE COMMITTEE FURTHER RECOMMENDS THAT THERE BE NO REDUCTION IN INTENSIVE CARE BEDS, WITHOUT AT LEAST A DETAILED RATIONALE OF HOW THIS COULD OCCUR WITHOUT A LOSS OF QUALITY. THE VIEW WAS ALSO REACHED THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE AN EXPANSION OF TEMPORARY ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY FACILITIES AT WOVEN VALLEY HOSPITAL, WHERE THERE WERE CLEAR SIGNS THAT A SHORTAGE OF BEDS WAS HAVING A DELETERIOUS EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF SERVICE.

ALL IN ALL THE COMMITTEE HAD THE GRAVEST DOUBTS ABOUT THE CAPACITY OF THE SYSTEM TO LOOSE ONE BED IN NINE IN A FEW MONTHS AND RETAIN THE LEVEL OF CARE WHICH CANBERRANS HAVE COME TO EXPECT. HENCE THE CENTRAL RECOMMENDATION OF THE REPORT:

THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE BOARD OF HEALTH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE GOVERNMENT, RECONSIDER ITS PROGRAM OF BED REDUCTIONS AS A MATTER OF URGENCY.

DESPITE THE SHORTNESS OF TIME AVAILABLE TO THE COMMITTEE, A LARGE NUMBER OF OTHER MATTERS WERE COVERED IN THE REPORT. FIRST, THE COMMITTEE IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR "QUALITY INDICATORS" TO BE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE HEALTH SYSTEM. THERE IS, AT THE PRESENT TIME, NO RELIABLE, CONSISTENT AND COMPREHENSIBLE QUALITY INDICATORS WHICH DO NOT CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR AND WHICH MEASURE CAPACITY AS WELL AS PERFORMANCE. THE INDICATOR WHICH PERHAPS COMES CLOSEST TO MEETING THIS TEST IS THE ACCREDITATION WHICH IS GIVEN BY THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON HEALTH CARE STANDARDS SACHS. OF COURSE, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT WODEN VALLEY HOSPITAL HAS NEVER ACHIEVED THIS ACCREDITATION FULLY, AND IT IS INDEED A RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMITTEE THAT THE BOARD OF HEALTH PURSUE THAT ACCREDITATION AS AT LEAST ONE INDICATOR OF IMPROVING STANDARDS IN OUR SYSTEM.

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