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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 3616 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

I referred to was an anomaly. There was another reason why the patient went beyond 30 days.

For the category two and category three patients we have not done so well, but we have improved. The waiting times have come down. That is the critical factor. Also, although it is not important, the waiting lists have come down. That is because there has been a coordinated strategy. There has been a change to the sorts of practices that generically we call pooling. There has also been a change to the way theatres are run. Nurses have agreed to a change in approach at the Canberra Hospital and there has been more time provided for theatres at Calvary Hospital in order to move more patients through our system.

I am very proud of the fact that those people who go to the hospital in an emergency are dealt with straightaway. If they are placed in category one, they should be done within 30 days. The average has been 15 days, but I expect that the average will go up after the winter break. It has not yet reached 30 days, as I understand it, but there has been pressure on the hospital. Elective surgery has moved. We would expect that to level off for a while at this time of year and then we would hope that it will improve again. That is certainly the strategy. I am extremely proud of what the government has done in terms of waiting times and waiting lists at our hospital. The committee's report was particularly helpful in giving direction and in making sure that we were able to do that.

MR RUGENDYKE: I have a supplementary question. Another recommendation of that report that was agreed to by the government was about producing an information pack or brochure providing patients with a complete list of options available to them to minimise their time on the waiting lists. Has that occurred? Could you provide a copy of that information pack to the Assembly?

MR MOORE: I will have to take that part of the question on notice and get back to Mr Rugendyke, which means by tomorrow under our new standing order. I can say that a leaflet of the type Mr Rugendyke described is being used in the emergency section at the Canberra Hospital and people who come into the emergency section are given an indication on it of the level of triage so that they have a much better understanding of the sorts of things that happen, why they might wait and so on.

Mr Berry: Do you invite them to go to the private hospital, too?

MR MOORE: I can hear Mr Cackle Berry interjecting from over there.

Mr Corbell: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is a breach of standing orders not to refer to members by their proper titles.

MR SPEAKER: I could not hear what Mr Moore said because there were too many interjections. If that is the case, you may withdraw, Mr Moore.

MR MOORE: Just to clarify it, I referred to Mr Berry as Mr Cackle Berry. I think that might have been the thing. It is hardly unparliamentary, Mr Speaker, but if they want me to withdraw "Mr Cackle Berry" I will withdraw "Mr Cackle Berry".

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