Page 2096 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 August 2014
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which is how the majority of cancer services are currently provided. That is certainly something that, again, makes it important in terms of our role as a regional healthcare provider.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, with the consolidation and relocation into the cancer centre, will any existing facilities then become vacant and, if so, what is the intended use of those existing facilities?
MS GALLAGHER: There will be some, obviously, vacating of places. Unfortunately it is not all in one place in the hospital. It forms part of the decanting and staging project, but CRCC will still be using the radiation-oncology area for radiation treatment. Fourteen B, the in-patient ward, remains the in-patient ward. It is really co-locating into one place a number of clinicians who are dotted around the hospital and also some of those treatment areas. Those decisions will be taken.
Those spaces are not being filled at the moment with any specific service, certainly the treatment spaces, because they have not been refurbished or they have not been allocated for a particular purpose and they are not ideal facilities, as anyone who has visited there would know, in terms of where the chemotherapy is being provided. It will go into consideration for the next stage of the hospital rebuild.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Minister, how does ACT Health work with the New South Wales regional health services to deliver cancer services?
MS GALLAGHER: This is one of those areas where there is a real strength of partnership between New South Wales and ACT health services. In actual fact, at the moment we are consulting on the draft ACT and southern New South Wales local health districts cancer services plan, which is going to be the high level planning document that will guide the delivery of public cancer services to residents of ACT and southern New South Wales for the next five years. Having a combined regional strategic plan in this area shows the strength of commitment from both governments to start thinking regionally when we are planning our health services and to not replicate services where it does not make sense to do so. That consultation is out now.
We also, through our specialist services, provide outreach services to residents of New South Wales and have cancer treatment centres in Goulburn, Moruya, Bega and Cooma. These are all supported by senior specialists from the Capital Region Cancer Centre, which allows people to have their treatment closer to home. I know that that is what everybody wants. If you are going through this it is much easier if you are able to access your treatment close to home. I really think we should acknowledge the efforts that clinical staff go to to ensure that their expertise, even if it is located in Canberra, can be shared so that local health services can deliver that important treatment close to where people live.
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