Page 3584 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 2010
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disgraceful. It was described by the AMA and by other doctor groups as witch-hunts and as thinly veiled threats. It is quite clear that that is what it was.
What we know is that this report was tabled. What we know is what it said, and this is what is in black and white. I read from this in part the other day when we had some discussion on this during the vote of no confidence but I will go through some more of what the report has found. It states:
The caseload program at the Canberra Hospital is oversubscribed, with a number of women expressing significant frustration at a lack of access to this model of care. In particular, women from the Tuggeranong region in the ACT cannot access the model and are only able to receive midwifery continuity through a team midwifery model … There was a high level of dissatisfaction with access to public antenatal clinics at the Canberra Hospital. Waiting times at the Antenatal Clinic were also identified by women as unacceptable and problematic.
The current lack of VMO appointments at the Canberra Hospital means that women under the care of a private obstetrician who require transfer to the Canberra Hospital are almost always unable to maintain continuity of care.
The people who are being affected are the women who are trying to access the service. This is what this report has found. The report states:
The review panel identified an apparent systematic and long-standing reticence by management to address disruptive or inappropriate behaviour by certain medical staff … Most staff interviewed indicated that they had tried to raise issues about clinician behaviour with various managers, but had not been able to effect change. Some issues, such as the consistent failure to provide sufficient notice of intended leave … materially affect the efficient operation of the unit.
These were not trivial matters. They are matters that affect the efficient operation of the unit. The report continues:
Both medical and midwifery staff reported that they had discussed their concerns about disruptive behaviour within the unit with their line manager and with various executive team members; however they did not believe these issues were addressed.
Then the management team acknowledged that they had received complaints about inappropriate behaviour by a senior clinician over a number of years. The report found:
The clinical governance of the Canberra maternity unit appears to be inadequate.
The re-credentialing process of clinical staff at the Canberra Hospital maternity unit does not appear to be robust.
The report also noted:
There was an apparent lack of cohesion amongst the executive team at the Canberra Hospital … There appeared to be considerable confusion over the role and delineation of some senior management positions … Reporting lines are
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