Page 1704 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MS GALLAGHER: That is not the information that I have. Contact was made with the commonwealth immediately on the Health Directorate being aware of this data discrepancy following the disclosure from a staff member. That went right to the top of the commonwealth. My office contacted the federal health minister’s office to explain the problem as it had been identified on Monday afternoon. The Director-General of Health also spoke on Friday with other directors-general around the country about the issues that had been identified in Canberra.
My understanding is no, but we do have to go back through a process and correct any data that has inadvertently been provided to the commonwealth that may need to be corrected. I have not had any representations from the commonwealth or the commonwealth minister that they are unhappy with that process.
MR HANSON: Supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, given that you have failed to reach elective surgery targets to receive the full commonwealth reward funding and we possibly now have defrauded the commonwealth on emergency departments, are you confident that the ACT Health Directorate can fulfil our obligations to the federal government?
MS GALLAGHER: We will fulfil our obligations to the commonwealth government. The data that has been provided for the first three months of the NEAT target is that we are sitting at 57 per cent of presentations being seen, discharged or admitted within four hours. We have to reach a target of 64 per cent across the two hospitals by the end of this year. The advice from my department is that very significant effort is going into meeting those targets.
The work that has been done—and this is where I think the motion this morning which the Liberal Party voted against was important. The motion was to send a message of support to the nurses and doctors who are actually going to deliver those results by supporting them in their ongoing efforts to reach that target. It will not be done by the swipe of a ministerial pen; it will actually be the people who deliver the service day in, day out. They are obviously distressed by the situation that has occurred, and I think it was very important that the Assembly send them a message of support this morning. It is unfortunate that the Liberal Party, due to their politics and their game playing, could not see fit to support that element of the motion today.
MR HANSON: Supplementary, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, what communication have you or your directorate received from the commonwealth in relation to the falsified data?
MS GALLAGHER: The commonwealth are aware of the issue. As far as I understand they are aware of the processes that are underway to correct any of the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video