Page 3031 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 17 October 2007
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MR CORBELL: I thank Mrs Burke for the supplementary. The government has been working consistently on this matter for a number of years, in particular since a report into oral and maxillofacial and plastic and reconstructive surgery was provided to the government in January 2006. Work that has occurred since that time has been to deal with a number of issues: first of all, to do with issues around the physical infrastructure and service capacity of the hospitals to ensure that this type of surgery can be provided; and second in relation to the work that is done by either plastic and reconstructive surgeons or by oral and maxillofacial surgeons.
In relation to the first point, the government has implemented a large number of the recommendations in that review. For example, we have committed to upgrade Calvary’s intensive care department. That was funded in the most recent budget. That was a recommendation of that review—to ensure that there was improved intensive care capacity at Calvary Hospital. That has been funded.
We have also appointed two additional plastic surgeons. Those have been funded. We have completed the role delineation, which is a service planning activity, of intensive care unit services at our hospitals. We have done partial completion of role delineation of surgical services. And we have established the surgical services task force, which is a high level forum of clinicians and managers.
The sticking point on this issue is the ongoing disagreement that exists between the two subspecialties involved in this particular matter. There is not clear delineation between what oral and maxillofacial surgery specialists believe is work that they should undertake and the work that the plastic and reconstructive surgeons believe that they have the responsibility for undertaking. If you like, there is a demarcation dispute between these two surgical specialties.
Mrs Burke: It’s taken you six years to find that out. You’ve just let it roll for six years.
MR CORBELL: The government is working hard to resolve this dispute. Without agreement between the two surgical subspecialties we are not in a position to have an appropriate level of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Canberra Hospital. We need the agreement between the surgical specialists. To address this issue, we have brought in professional mediation to try and broker agreement on role delineation between the various surgical specialties.
Mrs Burke: This is outrageous.
MR CORBELL: We are continuing with that work. We have achieved in-principle agreement with the two surgical specialties but we are now at a level of detail around role delineation. Regrettably, that is taking time.
We simply cannot impose a solution from above on these matters. We need agreement and consensus amongst the surgical specialties involved and we need to work to achieve that. We and ACT Health are providing a leadership role to bring those parties together and to reach that agreement. That is the issue at the Canberra Hospital.
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