Page 3100 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 20 September 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
We do not want to see that happen. We want to work with the nurses to achieve better and more effective ways of deploying our nursing resources so that we can have more nurses nursing. That was one of the widespread public concerns that were raised in the Canberra Times's recent super Saturday on health, where a number of people were saying, "We were concerned that there seemed to be lots of nurses there, but they were in the administrative structure positions and we wanted more nurses by the bedside". We want to have arrangements where we can pay our nurses appropriately, where we can respect them as professionals, which is what they are, and where well paid professional nurses can be providing more direct care to patients. There are some issues of cost there. If Mrs Carnell is going to say, "Gee, there is no problem with nursing costs; the nursing cost is the national average" - assuming that she accepts everything else - she is saying that the entire overcost at Woden is from the doctors. I invite her to go and explain that to the next AMA function.
MRS CARNELL: I have a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. I am sure that the Minister will be aware that the report that he pooh-poohed by Andersen Consulting - by the way, the same people that reported just one month later - used 1992-93 figures and the other report used 1991-92 figures. The 1992-93 figures show that nursing costs were not above the average; in fact, they were slightly below. The 1991-92 figures show that they were above. Which is true?
Mr Berry: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: I do not mind listening to the question, but was that a story or a question?
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Supplementary questions must by nature be brief.
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, all the outside consultants that we and previous governments have used at the hospital tell us that we have some major cost problems, and those cost problems are pretty much evenly distributed amongst medical costs, nursing costs and administrative costs. Mrs Carnell apparently believes that there is no problem with nursing costs. So, nursing is fine; we do not have to do anything with nursing; that is terrific. That means that the $26m has to come totally from medical costs and administrative costs. I do not know how you can do that, Mrs Carnell; nor does anybody else.
The advice that I get, Madam Speaker, is that the later Arthur Andersen report is the best and most accurate assessment of costs in the ACT and is consistent with every other report that has been made. That is the issue we are working on. What we want to do, Madam Speaker, is - rather than propagandise and carry on like Mrs Carnell - sit down with the nurses and work out how to improve things at Woden. But, on Mrs Carnell's statement today, there is no problem with the way we structure ourselves at Woden. Mrs Carnell, for months, has been telling me to get in there and fix up issues with the nurses. Now she says, "There is nothing to fix". That is wonderful. Mrs Carnell's magic wand strikes again.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .