Page 952 - Week 03 - Thursday, 28 February 2013
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released in the same report. I think the ACT was the only jurisdiction that met all nine of the targets established under the national partnership.
I would remind members—and I told them last sitting week—the $800,000 reward funding has not been lost to the ACT. The targets have been agreed to be reset by the commonwealth in light of some of the difficulties we had last year in the emergency department data. I am confident that, whilst those targets will be a challenge to meet, we will end up with that $800,000 because everyone, certainly on this side of the chamber, and everyone in the hospital is very focused on achieving them.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: Minister, can you absolutely guarantee that the $800,000 will not be put into jeopardy?
MS GALLAGHER: I have been given a guarantee from the federal minister that the money—
Mr Doszpot: That must be true then.
MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Mr Doszpot; helpful—that the money, as usual, will remain there for the ACT to get. It is a letter from the commonwealth, from the federal Minister for Health. Regardless of how you feel about our politics, Mr Doszpot, I presume that you would respect a letter in writing from the commonwealth that outlines commitments for financial reward.
I would say that I have been the only one going up the hill advocating for the needs of our emergency department and advocating at length about the need not to take reward funding away when our staff are working so hard and doing such an excellent job at providing quality care to the people of the ACT.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: Minister, why is it important to look at other options for ACT patients that might affect the emergency department, such as a nurse-led walk-in centre for Tuggeranong?
MS GALLAGHER: If anyone listened to Dr Peggy Brown’s interview on the radio this morning, I think she summarised the strategies that have been put in place around the emergency department very well. She talked about the need to divert people from hospital, the need to focus on resources in the emergency department and the need to build up cooperation across the hospital to enable the swift passage of patients who are to be admitted into the other areas of the hospital. One of those strategies is to divert people from the hospital. That means they need access to GPs, access to nurse-led walk-in centres, access to chemists or pharmacy, which provide an excellent source of advice. The call centres can provide advice as well, particularly for those less serious, non-urgent conditions. My hope is that when the walk-in centre in Tuggeranong and in Belconnen is established, that will provide a popular choice for
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