Page 364 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 February 2013
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If you look at aged care and rehab and time for assessments you will see that all of these results are excellent and improving.
Minister, in the 2011-12 year, the average waiting time for an in-hospital aged care assessment team review was 1.7 days. In the September 2012 quarterly report it is now two days. Minister, can you please explain how an increase in the average waiting time is “excellent and improving”?
MS GALLAGHER: I just do not have the quarterly performance report before me, and I am very happy to come back to the Assembly if I have made an error in relation to any comments I made on radio. The point I was making in the interview was that the health system is more than the emergency department and elective surgery. It is a much broader measure of the effectiveness of the health system, including issues around quality and safety, including issues in mental health, including issues in aged care.
Mr Smyth: I am not sure that is what you said.
MS GALLAGHER: If I can just put the context of the interview, if I have made an error, I will come back and correct it. It is the first time it has been drawn to my attention, if I have made an error, and I will correct it. The point I was making was that the quarterly performance report shows a health system that is high quality and that has areas where improvements have been made and areas where continuing improvements are being made. That is why we have the quarterly performance report and that is why it is important, I think, to acknowledge where it is correct. As I have said, if I am incorrect, I will correct the record where there are areas of improvement and also acknowledge the hard work that is done by officers within the Health Directorate to improve services to the community.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, why has the average waiting time for aged care assessments increased?
MS GALLAGHER: I would just like to congratulate the Leader of the Opposition on his appointment to that position. I should have done so at the beginning of my first question.
In relation to that, I will come back to the Assembly. I just do not have the quarterly performance report before me.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, in relation to the questions asked by Mr Hanson, are your statements in line with the call for you to be more honest in speaking about health data?
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