Page 1524 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 8 May 2018
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It is important to note that the government remains absolutely committed to the development of truly territory-wide services. To that end territory-wide health service planning and the development of specialty service plans and models of care will continue. But I have asked ACT Health to paint a better picture to staff and our community on the health needs of our community in the next decade and, after considerable feedback from staff and stakeholders over the past month, reconsider with staff the development of clinical centres.
I have also led a significant improvement in the partnership with Calvary Public Hospital, investing in the hospital as well as commencing negotiation on a modern new agreement with Calvary to ensure we have an integrated and truly territory-wide health system. This important work includes both Calvary Public Hospital and Clare Holland House.
As members know, the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, ACHS, undertook an accreditation survey at ACT Health in late March. ACHS looked at a range of criteria under 10 national standards for this important survey. While ACT Health met many, it did not meet 33 of the core criteria. This was clearly a concerning and disappointing result for the government and ACT Health, and its staff.
Of the 33 core criteria not met, 17—or half—relate to governance. Reference is made to the model of ACT Health, noting the current model creates a significant degree of confusion and fails to provide clear accountability. I have spoken to matters of governance already, but I reiterate the significance of these findings and the decision by the government to address these very issues through the separation of ACT Health.
The remaining matters that are the focus of the “not met” report are the subject of significant attention at the highest levels of ACT Health. The full and final report is currently being finalised and, when completed, will be made available to all ACT Health staff. The interim director-general is chairing a national standards leadership committee and has met with the ACHS and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, the body that establishes the standards. I am confident about the actions underway and the work being done across the organisation to address these important matters.
An accreditation coordination team has been established in ACT Health, and this team will be consulting with staff in the coming weeks. While there are a number of governance-related areas requiring improvement, there are also areas which are patient focused and require behavioural changes in the workplace. These relate specifically to a number of “not mets” in national standards (3), preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections; (4), medication safety; (5) patient identification and procedure matching; and (6), clinical handover.
In order to address these, ACT Health staff must focus on compliance with the relevant standards and policies to ensure that the safest level of care is being provided to patients. This includes, for example, ensuring that ACT Health has 100 per cent compliance when it comes to completing electronic surgical safety checklists or ensuring the correct labelling of specimens. ACT Health senior staff will work with
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