Page 3032 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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In relation to the request that I investigate whether staff at the Canberra Hospital who assist in the front-line provision of cancer services require customer service or reflective practice training, I can advise that ACT Health is conducting training in customer service to support front-line staff and ensure that, in addition to quality care, patients and their families continue to receive high quality customer service and communication. Radiation oncology staff are currently working with the customer service training team to tailor the content of the training modules to suit their specific requirements, and feedback from consumers will also be used to ensure the training is as effective as possible. Sessions will commence in July 2010.
In relation to the request that I reinstitute formal consultation meetings between managerial and consumer representatives, I can advise that ACT Health is currently undertaking planning for construction of the capital region cancer centre, and an integral part of this work is investigation of current practices and procedures in order to improve a patient’s experience of the care and information they receive. Two customer representatives are part of the committee responsible for leading this project, and the Capital Region Cancer Service has begun to work with these representatives to identify other opportunities for meaningful consumer participation. A meeting with consumer organisations is being planned to identify the most appropriate vehicle for increasing consumer engagement across cancer services. This may result in the reinstitution of the previous meeting format or it may implement a new consultative framework that improves communication and outcomes.
In relation to the request that I direct the Canberra Hospital to plan for staff turnover and aim to ensure a staff person will be replaced before they leave a position, I can advise that, under the terms of the current collective agreements, staff are only required to give two weeks notice before resigning from a position. However, when notice is given, every effort is made to recruit to positions quickly, particularly where vacancies may impact on the provision of healthcare services.
In the specific case of radiation oncology, the process to fill the vacant radiation therapist positions was promptly initiated when the vacancies were identified. In addition to acting in a timely manner to fill the vacant radiation therapist positions, additional funding, has been provided to enable recruitment of an additional five radiation therapists. This will assist the radiation oncology department to meet growing demand, cover backfill and reduce the risk of future vacancies negatively impacting on the service’s capacity.
In relation to the request that I investigate whether any further financial assistance can be provided to those patients who had to travel interstate to receive radiotherapy treatment, I can advise that, when a patient has to travel interstate for care, the ACT covers all medical costs associated with their treatment. The ACT interstate patient travel assistance scheme is a subsidy scheme to provide some financial assistance towards travel and accommodation costs. It is available to permanent residents of the ACT where access to inpatient or outpatient medical treatment and/or specialist oral health surgical treatment is not available in the ACT. Reimbursement amounts do take into account individual patient circumstances, for example, distance and method of travel or length of overnight accommodation required.
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