Page 1641 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
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I need to be very clear over any speculation about Health Directorate data having been deliberately manipulated in the past. The Auditor-General conducted an investigation into elective surgery and medical waiting times and this investigation did not find evidence of deliberate data manipulation.
The Auditor-General audited Health Directorate performance against the very tightly defined criteria within the Health Directorate’s own elective surgery policy. When all elements of the policy could not be demonstrated in the clinical record, the auditor made a finding that there was not evidence to support reclassifications from category 1 to category 2 patients. However, there were an almost equal number of patients who were reclassified upwards—that is, from category 2 to category 1—for whom there was also no evidence within the clinical record to support that reclassification.
The Auditor-General did not find any evidence of deliberate data manipulation. What was found was evidence of poor data documentation process, and the Health Directorate have taken steps to improve that.
The Health Directorate has committed to republish the corrected data, when available. The directorate has also informed the commonwealth and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare of this issue.
I would like to provide the Assembly with my assurance that once this audit investigation is finalised I will provide the Assembly with a copy of the final report. On behalf of the Health Directorate I express my sincere regret that this event has occurred. I wish to remind members that there has been no financial gain to the person involved or to the directorate as a result of this matter.
I reiterate to all members that this matter has not and does not in any way impact on the clinical treatment afforded to patients who present to the emergency department.
Minister for Health
Motion of censure
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (10.09), by leave: I move:
That this Assembly—
(1) notes that:
(a) in recognition of the importance of emergency department waiting times, all States and Territories agreed to performance targets for emergency department waiting times with the Commonwealth, which are linked to reward payments;
(b) over the past three and a half years, Katy Gallagher has been under significant pressure as a result of poor emergency department performance results;
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