Page 4021 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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(h) on 21 November 2014, The Canberra Times in an article “Leaked report claims Canberra Hospital maternity patients at serious risk” reported on a leaked extract of the RANZCOG accreditation report including that:
(i) mismanagement and long-running cultural problems inside TCH maternity unit have put the health of patients at serious risk, an official report has warned, as adverse medical outcomes, inadequate supervision and critically low morale remain;
(ii) “the unit is significantly at risk of both adverse medical outcomes and personal risk to the health and wellbeing of the registrars”; and
(iii) it (the report) highlights staff shortages, a lack of engagement by visiting doctors, increasing birth numbers, shortages of senior doctors, limited clinical experience, poor rostering, conflicting management protocols and “widespread disaffection”; and
(2) calls on the Minister for Health to:
(a) provide the Assembly with the full recent accreditation report conducted by RANZCOG;
(b) specify actions the minister is taking to address the long term and serious concerns with TCH maternity unit; and
(c) assure the Assembly and the community that the minister is able to resolve the issues with TCH maternity or will step aside as Health Minister.
It is with real concern that we find ourselves back here in the Assembly talking about the maternity unit at the Canberra Hospital. This has been an ongoing saga. It was the subject of three separate motions in 2010. It was the subject of a motion in 2012 and we are back here now in 2014 discussing issues that are sickeningly familiar—issues of a bad culture, of bullying, of doctors under stress, of doctors resigning and of concerns about patient care.
When this issue arose in 2010 the minister initially denied that there were any problems. She dismissed this as an issue. She then attacked those doctors that had made the complaints. She stated that this was just doctor politics in a 10-year war. If it is true that there was a 10-year war, that means it is now a 14-year war in obstetrics in this town. The minister has provided assurances repeatedly in this place and in the media that this is being addressed. She has told this place that we should not be worrying about it and we should not be bringing these matters forward because the staff are dealing with it and she is dealing with it. That has simply proven not to be the case.
I will give an overview of the history of what has happened before I then go into some of the very disturbing details. As you would remember, in 2010, Madam Speaker, there were some pretty serious allegations that were raised. There was a woman who was advised to have an abortion but refused to do so and who then had a healthy baby. At that stage allegations were raised and 13 registrars resigned. With respect to the
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