Page 3968 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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Also, patient trackers are being used. These are small electronic devices which allow feedback to be provided by patients very quickly. There is a series of five questions. They are rotated across the health system and you can tell very quickly what the feedback is. People can rank the care that they are getting very quickly and easily simply by the press of a button. It is a very useful tool to measure patient opinion prior to introducing planned improvements. This was used in 7A, I understand, with team nursing.
There is also the issue of food packaging which has come up in complaints around people being able to open the food packages easily and eat. The food services area of the hospital has been working on a whole range of initiatives to make sure that people are able to open their food and that the food is of a high quality nutritional value.
In addition to these, there are, of course, the extra beds that have opened across the hospital. Yesterday there were 233 people presenting to the Canberra Hospital emergency department. About 66 of those were admitted. The extra beds are certainly being well utilised. (Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Minister, could you tell us more about how team nursing and the introduction of assistants in nursing will assist in patient care?
MS GALLAGHER: It would be a pleasure to provide that information to Dr Bourke. The introduction of assistants in nursing has been something that has been allowed in the industrial agreement but has not been implemented because of some of the concerns that have existed from an industrial perspective. Some commitments have been given in relation to assistants in nursing to make sure that they are supplemented over and above the registered nurse and EN ratios on the ward. We already have the best nursing to patient ratios in the country, but assistants in nursing will assist with extra resources, particularly on those busy wards where there are a number of elderly patients who require some additional support and, in fact, often do not have family with them throughout their stay.
In addition, the feedback so far on introducing team nursing—and I got the opportunity to see it in action on 7A—is that, instead of one nurse being required to look after all of the care needs of four patients, all of the nurses have a role and responsibility in relation to all of the patients. On that ward there are 32 beds. Their nursing resources to the patient are better allocated. If a patient needs three nurses to assist them, then that is provided. If a patient only needs one nurse, then that is provided.
As I said, the feedback from patients is that they believe there is more nursing staff actually on the ward than they had previously thought. The feedback from nursing, including the graduate staff that have been moving through that ward, also spoke highly of the changes because they feel better supported in the roles that they have.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Porter.
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