Page 2636 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 2013
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(c) the Chief Minister ignored her Department’s advice and the evidence and stated publicly that the WIC would reduce pressure on the Emergency Department (ED);
(d) the review found that “contrary to this rationale, the location of the ACT walk-in centre actually resulted in a ‘net increase in ED activity’”;
(e) the latest National Health Performance Authority results, released on 25 July 2013 shows a further deterioration in ED results; and
(f) the Chief Minister has also ignored Health officials’ advice regarding the establishment of a paediatric stream in ED;
(2) condemns the Chief Minister for ignoring evidence and advice that resulted in increased pressure on the ED and contributed to longer waiting times;
(3) calls on the Chief Minister to table all ACT Health advice regarding the establishment of a paediatric stream in the ED; and
(4) requests that the Auditor-General conduct a performance audit of ED waiting times in the ACT as a matter of priority.
It is disappointing in a way that I am back here talking about the emergency department because there are a number of things that have occurred since we were last here. I think they have as a whole increased the need for what is the nub of the motion, which is that there should be an independent review by the Auditor-General. What I intend to do is to go through some of those new issues. The first of those is the review that we were talking about during question time into the nurse-led walk-in centre at the Canberra Hospital.
The review found that the evidence that was drawn from the National Health Service in the UK was ignored, was used selectively and was then misinterpreted by ACT Health. I will quote what was said:
Three areas were identified as problematic in the way that evidence from the NHS—
the National Health Service—
was translated—
to the ACT—
The use of clinical decision support software (CDSS);—
That is the software program we are talking about—
the marketing of the walk-in centre; and its location.
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