Page 2649 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 15 August 2017
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categories is labelled non-urgent. This category sets the 2017-18 target of 91 per cent for the number of patients admitted “at some time in the future”. This is against a most laudable outcome of 88 per cent for 2016-17. I say “laudable”, but I wonder why it is not 100 per cent. Surely every patient who is neither urgent nor semi-urgent—the two other categories in this strategic indicator—would be admitted “at some time in the future”. What happens to the nine per cent who are not? Not only is this bizarre; it is yet another example of meaningless drivel.
One example is the hand hygiene rate. The target of 75 per cent for 2016-17 for both Calvary and the Canberra Hospital was exceeded. Calvary did better by seven points and Canberra Hospital improved by eight points. The outcomes for 2015-16 were almost exactly the same, and yet the Health Directorate once again went for the status quo in setting the targets for 2017-18—no achievable improvement, no analysis, no consultation, just the status quo. It is akin to that grossly overused expression, “We’ve always done it that way.” Well, always doing something the same way does not make it right, achievable or credible. It is about time the tradition became history.
Perhaps all of that is indicative of this government’s approach to doing business. Let me give an example in the Health Directorate. A small, family owned business of some 40 years’ experience, Capital Medical Supplies, employs 10 people and operates out of Mitchell. This business supplies a range of products to ACT Health at New South Wales public hospital contract prices. ACT Health rides on the back of the buying power of New South Wales through the locally owned family business Capital Medical Supplies. Recently this business was advised by ACT Health that it would no longer be purchasing directly from companies and instead would be purchasing through the New South Wales hospital contracts agreement.
ACT Health will be no better off in terms of price. However, ACT Health will be worse off in terms of supply arrangements. Capital Medical Supplies keeps stocks here locally in Canberra and can meet the demands of hospitals and the broader health network immediately. Indeed, I understand deliveries are made every day under arrangements with the current supplier but they will be considerably less frequent under alternative arrangements. For no price advantage and for less service, ACT Health’s business wisdom will threaten the livelihood and the viability of a long-term local business and will threaten the employment of many local workers.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Canberra Institute of Technology—Part 1.4.
MR WALL (Brindabella) (10.55): Madam Acting Speaker, this time I will speak on my behalf on the budget line items relating to the Canberra Institute of Technology. As a key provider of vocational education and training, much has been said in this place over the years about the location of campuses and whether or not there is need for more CIT services on either the north side or the south side. It seems that the view on this argument depends on which side of the lake you represent. This line of questioning was again evident during the estimates hearings, where I note that the chair of the CIT board countered the discussion by noting that:
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