Page 4417 - Week 14 - Thursday, 28 November 2013
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MR HANSON: Minister, if you are just going to ignore the findings of independent reviews, why do you bother commissioning these reviews?
MS GALLAGHER: There were not findings along those lines, Mr Hanson.
Mr Hanson: I quoted it.
MS GALLAGHER: No. You said why am I going to ignore the findings. They are not findings. There were five recommendations that covered the model of care and implementation of the model of care in the new facilities. So don’t try and blow this up into something. There were not findings—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: What you are trying to say is that they were findings around the leadership at Canberra Hospital, and they were not. They were not. The recommendations are there. There were five recommendations. The government have, in our interim response, agreed or agreed in part with those five recommendations. This is all about improving a high quality service, a safe and effective service, that has been implemented in the Canberra Hospital, and there are five relatively minor recommendations about how to improve it.
In relation to workforce culture in that area of the hospital, I cannot think of another area of the hospital that has gone through some of the pressure that that area has. It has been an extremely distressing time. I still have midwives who come in tears to me about some of the changes that happened at the obstetrician level in that hospital. I know that the leadership that is at that unit is determined to deal with any ongoing issues, and they do do it. So stop talking individual staff down and actually focus some effort on supporting the work that is being done.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Actually deal with the recommendations in the report, Mr Hanson. You have selectively quoted, as usual, to try and find the worst comment that is in that report and blow it out of all proportion. It was not a finding of this report and—
Mr Hanson: It’s a pretty bad report.
MS GALLAGHER: It is not a bad report. It is by no means a bad report. You would like it to be a bad report, but unfortunately it is not. (Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: Minister, can you explain for the Assembly the qualities of these staff and the pressures they face?
MS GALLAGHER: I will again reinforce my support for the leadership at Centenary Hospital for Women and Children and acknowledge the huge stress they have been
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