Page 6407 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991

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THE COMMITTEE ALSO FELT THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE BOARD WERE TO BE MORE OPEN AND ACCOUNTABLE ABOUT THE NATURE OF ISSUES FACING THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM, AND WERE TO DISCUSS THOSE ISSUES THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OTHER MEANS IN A WAY WHICH MADE THE A.C.T. COMMUNITY MORE TOLERANT OF THE CHANGES OCCURRING IN THE SYSTEM AND THE PRESSURES UPON IT. FOR EXAMPLE, A VERY DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE REASON FOR WAITING LISTS IN THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM WAS PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE THAN REACHES THE PUBLIC FROM TIME TO TIME.

THE COMMITTEE WAS ALSO ALARMED AT THE EXTENT TO WHICH OVERSTAFFING IN THE A.C.T. PUBLIC HOSPITAL SYSTEM HAS NOT YET BEEN FULLY ADDRESSED. IT HEARD EVIDENCE FROM DR. JAMES BUTLER OF THE ANU. ABOUT THE COMPARISON OF STAFF RATIOS IN A.C.T. PUBLIC HOSPITALS WITH SYSTEMS ELSEWHERE. THE COMMITTEE HEARD THAT, BASED ON 1987/88 DATA, FOR EVERY ONE ADMINISTRATIVE AND CLERICAL STAFF POSITION IN THE AVERAGE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL SYSTEM, THERE IS 1.8 POSITIONS IN THE A.C.T. THE COMMITTEE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ALTHOUGH MUCH HAS BEEN DONE TO RELIEVE SUCH ODIOUS COMPARISONS IN RECENT YEARS, MUCH STILL REMAINS TO BE DONE. THE COMMITTEE ALSO NOTES THAT CUTS IN BEDS GOES HAND IN HAND TO SOME EXTENT WITH CUTS IN STAFF, MOST NOTABLY HOWEVER WITH "COALFACE" STAFF SUCH AS NURSES. ACCORDINGLY, THE COMMITTEE STRONGLY FELT THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TARGET OVERSTAFFING (ESPECIALLY ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSTAFFING) BEFORE IT TARGETS BED NUMBERS.

THE COMMITTEE TOOK EVIDENCE ABOUT THE RELATIVE UNDERSEA OF PRIVATE HOSPITAL BEDS IN THE A.C.T. SUCH UNDERSEA REPRESENTS A SERIOUS RESOURCE PROBLEM TO THE TERRITORY, AND IS BECOMING PROGRESSIVELY MORE ACUTE. WE HEARD THAT IN 1989/90, THE PERCENTAGE OF PRIVATE PATIENTS OF TOTAL PATIENTS AT WODEN

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