Page 1749 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 6 June 2006
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it helps the democratic process and improves the quality of the final outcome if that debate can continue into the Assembly. This is, in itself, a form of quality assurance. If this were a minority government, we would have other options open to us. But in this case all interested parties are dependent on the good grace of government.
I will be writing to the Minister for Health to formally suggest that we look more carefully at the issues on privilege, communication and transparency on these committees. My office will advise those interested consumers and health professionals of the government’s response.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Minister for Health, Minister for Disability and Community Services and Minister for Women) (12.13), in reply: The need to use information about healthcare outcomes and improvement activities to improve patient care is now well recognised. However, many healthcare professionals feel that the information they contribute to those activities might unfairly be used for purposes other than those for which it was intended.
The current Health Act seeks to provide for the confidentiality and protection of certain information generated by or for the purposes of healthcare quality improvement committees. It facilitates the withholding and protection of information from both the courts and the public to enable quality assurance and other approved functions to be undertaken in an atmosphere of open disclosure.
This bill seeks to amend the Health Act by amalgamating parts 3 and 4, which deal with quality assurance committees in public and private healthcare settings. The functions of quality assurance committees are to facilitate the improvement of health services provided in the ACT. The bill will remove unnecessary distinctions between public and private quality assurance committees. The amalgamation will provide a level playing field in respect of quality assurance committees or health sectors. It also aims to ensure quality assurance committees are only established if appropriate and do not continue in existence if they do not function properly. In addition, the bill ensures quality assurance committees report appropriately, are run appropriately and are accountable and addresses concerns about confidentiality and disclosure, in particular in relation to disclosure of information, by previous members of committees and persons assisting or associated with committees, to courts and health professional boards.
The bill allows the Minister for Health to approve a quality assurance committee for a health facility, a health professional organisation or a purpose granted to the committee. In approving the committee, I must be satisfied that the functions of the committee will be facilitated by the members and other people assisting the committee being protected from liability and that it is in the public interest to restrict disclosure of information.
To balance these provisions, the bill requires approved quality assurance committees to provide an annual report. This report must state the details of the health services assessed and evaluated and the results of those evaluations. This report should also identify the committee’s conclusions and recommendations, if any are made.
Section 8C of the Health Act provides for the approval of a committee to investigate, assess, review and evaluate the clinical privileges provided to health services providers.
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