Page 2697 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 June 2012
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delivery of elected surgery. And I think it is also important to note, as I said, there were significant concerns raised there, which is why we supported having the Auditor-General’s inquiry into this. As I said, this is one of the many important issues in the health system.
The report from the Auditor-General did also note that ACT Health is implementing the elective surgery access plan 2010-13 to meet the immediate needs of increased demand for elective surgery and is introducing changes in elective surgery management. The success of this plan depends on its effective implementation, which requires adequate resources, engagement of hospital staff and improved communication with, and cooperation from, surgeons and other medical professions. Again the point we have made is that, for this to work, it needs to actually have the buy-in of everybody involved in the health system. It includes the department, it includes staff and it also includes private doctors who will be going in and taking part in that system. I think that needs to be acknowledged as well.
With regard to the bullying issue that has been raised, the Greens proposed, and agreed with other medical and health associations, to have the matter considered through the Public Interest Disclosure Act. We again said, particularly because this was a bullying matter and a very sensitive matter, that dragging people before a public inquiry in cases of bullying was a highly inappropriate way to deal with the issue and it would have done nothing to actually encourage people to come forward, and that was acknowledged by a number of people.
With regard to GPs, this is an area where states and territories have very limited influence and ability to act. Incentives and Medicare payments are controlled by the federal government, as are other factors, such as recognising a region as an area of need for GP places.
I would like to know what the Liberals’ views are on how this can actually be changed. Last election they had one initiative related to health cooperatives, and this is a good thing. This is something the Greens agree with. It can have an impact on primary healthcare delivery, something we have said publicly. But what else would you do? This is not an issue of policy, what your policy is on the matter, it is actually about whether or not you can say what you would do when you cannot control the process. As I said, at the last election the initiative they had was about health cooperatives. There was nothing else about how you would effect incentives and the like, but that is the reality of the situation.
Medicare Local, formerly the Division of General Practice, have argued that they believe the shortage of GPs in the ACT has been an issue which has been overstated and that a number of practices are advertising for patients. This is, of course, a thing that needs to be noted, that different areas will, or may, have lower numbers than other particular regions. That, as I said, has to be acknowledged. They have also argued that many GPs will bulk-bill even if it is not the blanket policy of the practice.
There are also, in relation to this, other things that can be done, such as providing space for GPs in community health centres, which is something the Greens supported
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