Page 5919 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 2010
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without any reasonable excuse from making a record of or wilfully disclosing to another person confidential information gained through the administration of the act. Confidential information includes information about the identity, occupation or whereabouts of a person who has made a public interest disclosure or against whom a public interest disclosure has been made; information contained in the public disclosure; information concerning an individual’s personal affairs; and information, if disclosed, that may cause detriment to a person. Accordingly, details about the particular matters explored and the specific conclusions reached in the investigation cannot be publicly released.
However, ACT Health can advise that the investigation did identify a number of unresolved workplace issues within the O&G department at the hospital for the relevant time period and the very complex context in which those issues occurred. Some of the issues concerned the conduct of individual staff members, while others were of a broader organisational nature.
ACT Health will undertake a range of actions arising from this investigation, including providing feedback to identified individuals in relation to the findings of the investigation and taking further action as deemed appropriate, taking into account the findings of the investigation; providing training for managers and staff in relation to adult learning principles, conflict and problem solving skills, bullying and harassment and complaints procedures; reviewing a range of internal processes including meeting procedures and complaint resolution procedures; reviewing matters relating to staffing, for example, roles in position descriptions and staffing levels; continuing to support the planning processes for the new women’s and children’s hospital; and focusing on best-practice provision of maternity services in the ACT.
Action has already commenced on some of the above, and a plan will be developed in relation to the remaining actions to ensure that all necessary measures are implemented. Of particular note is the action already underway in relation to the recommendations from the clinical services review of maternity services in the ACT, which provide an excellent basis for enhancing the existing high standard of maternity services in the ACT and ensuring that a best-practice networked maternity service across the ACT is achieved. The work from the clinical services review is being overseen by a broad multidisciplinary steering committee, which has demonstrated a strong commitment to constructively moving forward in achieving their goals.
ACT Health sincerely regrets any distress that has resulted from the complex circumstances and events that were part of this investigation and offers an unreserved
apology to all affected persons. We are also very concerned to provide a safe working environment for all employees and will continue to closely monitor all services with a view to ensuring that the workplace environment is one where respect, equity and diversity is actively promoted and achieved.
Without the public interest disclosure process, ACT Health would not have been able to access the breadth of information gained and would not have been in a position to establish the solutions to the issues raised in the investigation. Indeed, whilst the opposition will say that I designed this process in order to ensure nothing was ever released, we discussed this process about the best way forward at length with staff and non-staff, including the private obstetricians.
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