Page 1578 - Week 05 - Thursday, 15 May 2014
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achieved that. But hospitals are incredibly busy. We are seeing more admissions, and more admissions with sicker people. That puts pressure on beds. We will continue to open beds to help alleviate that pressure and restructure the hospital system to try and keep people out of hospital and in other services like hospital in the home. There is a lot of work underway to do that. But our hospitals are safe. They are incredibly professional and they are delivering more and more services every year, and it is a credit to the staff that work in them.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, when did you first become aware that the bed occupancy rates in the ACT were at or above unsafe levels?
MS GALLAGHER: I am not going to accept that they are at or above unsafe levels. They are—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: What I am telling you is that we have set a target of 90 per cent. That does not translate that it is unsafe in our hospitals if the bed occupancy increases above that. I get reports on the activity in the hospital on a daily basis. I see how busy the hospital is or how calm the hospital is, so I feel very well informed on all aspects of the hospitals. Bed occupancy is one of them that we keep an eye on, but we also look at a range of other measures to see how the hospital is operating at any point in time.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, what did you do when you were first informed that occupancy rates were above safe performance levels?
Mr Hanson: Changed the target.
MS GALLAGHER: That is not true. The interjection from Mr Hanson is not true.
MADAM SPEAKER: You should not respond to the interjection from Mr Hanson, Chief Minister.
MS GALLAGHER: It is impossible, Madam Speaker, when he keeps interrupting not to respond, particularly when there are untruths being shouted across the chamber. The bed occupancy rate changes day to day. To get notification that your bed occupancy is at 87 per cent and then the next day that it is at 92 per cent or 95 per cent does not result in any particular action on my part.
The hospital executive and staff are charged with running the hospital. They do that. I do not get into operationalising or responding to these matters on a daily basis. My job is to ensure that there is adequate resourcing when the hospitals get to a point where other alternatives might be looked at, that those resources are made available, which they are, and continuing to build up capacity across the system. That is exactly
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