Page 3242 - Week 10 - Thursday, 25 September 2014
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The Canberra Hospital has undertaken a number of actions in relation to the complaint that was raised yesterday, including allocating a central equipment storage area that ward and nursing staff have access to during weekdays and weekends. More bariatric equipment has already been ordered and obtained for ward areas. (Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, are you aware of other instances where a patient’s diabetic requirements have been ignored in the hospital?
MS GALLAGHER: No, I am not. Although, as I said yesterday, there are complaints that come across my desk from time to time, I am not aware of the one that Ms Lawder has raised directly in this Assembly. If this is going to be a continuing trend of the opposition bringing individual cases to here, we are going to have to put in place some way of managing it so that there is at least an opportunity for those who provided the care to have their response to these situations as well.
I can advise the Assembly—and I am not disregarding complaints in any way—that I have received some feedback from an elderly patient’s family who was provided care more recently and during the busy time the hospital is having, as opposed to the complaint that was raised yesterday. They, through their advice to me, cannot speak more highly of the care that was provided to their parent during the time that they were in hospital—in fact, saving that individual’s life. I could read through it.
Mr Hanson: Listen to 666 and 2CC for the calls, Katy.
MS GALLAGHER: As I said, Mr Hanson, we have received about 4,656 pieces of feedback over the last 12 months. Of these, 3,247 were compliments, 1,409 were comments or complaints. In addition, I have received a card today from a young child who has had their arm fixed in surgery. The parents of that child could not speak more highly of the care that their child was provided in the hospital.
This is the nature of a health system. It does not show systemic failings by any means. It is a human system, it is a busy system and there will be people who feel that the care provided to them was not of the standard that they should have been provided. There will also be a number of patients who think that the care exceeded their expectations and then there will be those in the middle.
We have a high-quality health system. (Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, a supplementary question.
MR HANSON: Minister, are you aware of other occasions where patients have been left lying naked on a bed for hours?
MS GALLAGHER: As I said, I am not aware of the case that Ms Lawder has raised directly in the Assembly today. But there will be occasions when people do not feel
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