Page 756 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 8 March 2016
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MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Hanson for the question. I am certainly aware of the comments made by my former colleague Mr Hargreaves, and I was disappointed to read those comments. This highlights exactly why, as minister, I have made timely access to acute care services a priority since becoming minister. That is why we are reducing the number of people waiting longer than necessary for elective surgery at the Canberra Hospital. That is why we are improving access in the emergency department and expanding capacity in the emergency department. I acknowledge Mr Hargreaves’s concerns and I think they serve as a timely reminder that there remains work to be done to improve coordination of care in the acute care space. That will remain my priority as minister.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, why is it that after 15 years of ACT Labor even former ministers are raising some concerns about the ACT health system?
MR CORBELL: I think it would be fair to say that, for as many times as there are complaints and concerns raised about care, there are a very significant number of compliments about the level of care provided as well at the Canberra Hospital but, of course, those are not the subject of questions in this place. I would simply make the point again that our system needs to improve its timeliness to allow more people to get access to the care they need in the time frames that they need it. My focus as minister is on those two key areas in particular, that is, access to elective surgery and access to emergency department care within the clinically preferred time frames. We are undertaking a very significant package of reform to make sure we see improvements in those areas.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, according to the procedures of the Canberra Hospital, did Mr Hargreaves get appropriate care?
MR CORBELL: It would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual cases. There is such a thing as privacy when it comes to patient care and it is not my practice or that of former ministers to go into the specific details of care provided to individuals who attend at our public hospitals.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, what are you doing to fix the fact that there is so little coordination, according to Mr Hargreaves, at Canberra Hospital?
MR CORBELL: The government has a very wide-ranging reform agenda underway right now. This is something that I have instigated since I have become minister where we have focused on coordination across the different areas of the hospital, where we have focused on improvements in work flow practice within the emergency department and where we have reformed and continue to reform the operations and the coordination and scheduling of elective surgery. These remain key areas of priority for me.
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