Page 3865 - Week 12 - Thursday, 30 October 2014
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across the system. Certainly in the last few months Calvary has not been as busy; it is Canberra Hospital.
We have over 1,000 beds available across the system, of which 60 per cent are at Canberra Hospital. Approximately 40 per cent are available at Calvary. It is essential that we ensure that both the hospitals are running as efficiently as possible and in an integrated way that supports the overall aim of the public health system.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Berry.
MS BERRY: Chief Minister, how is the government ensuring access to quality care across the health system for Canberrans?
Mr Hanson: On a point of order as to relevance to the question, the original question was very much about bed occupancy rates and bed occupancy. I am not sure that the question, although it obviously relates to the health system, is relevant to the specific line of questioning, which was about levels of bed occupancy and the statements by the AMA about the impact of them.
Mr Corbell: On the point of order, Madam Speaker, clearly the Chief Minister’s answer related to system-wide attempts to respond to the pressures faced by the health system. Therefore Ms Berry’s question is a very appropriate follow-up supplementary.
MADAM SPEAKER: On the point of order, standing order 113B says that the supplementary question has to be relevant to the original question or arise out of the answer given. The original question was about the situation of dangerous levels of bed occupancy at TCH; frequently reaching unsafe levels of bed occupancy. Mr Hanson’s supplementary was: is the unsafe overcrowding of TCH causing mistakes to be made? In her response to the second of those questions the Chief Minister talked about conversations with Calvary and spreading the load. That does not to me indicate a discussion about access to health generally. Access to health generally is a much broader thing, and I would have to rule the question out of order. A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, as asserted by the President of the AMA, is the unsafe overcrowding at the Canberra Hospital having a huge impact on staff stress and is the unsafe overcrowding at TCH set to worsen?
MS GALLAGHER: I do not accept it is unsafe overcrowding at all. Even when the hospital is running at 96 per cent, that still leaves a number of vacant beds across the system for people to be admitted to. We have had some claims going about levels way over 100 per cent. To have that, you would have to have a large number of people admitted to the hospital not in beds. So let us accept that the hospital is operating, it is very full, but I do not accept the language that has been used by the opposition.
Mr Hanson: Madam Speaker, on a point of relevance, I am sure the minister is going to get to it, but the specific question asked by Mr Smyth was about the impact on staff stress and whether this was set to worsen. I ask if the minister could be directly relevant to those points.
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