Page 3253 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
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Surveyors were impressed by ACT Health’s commitment to ensuring the delivery of quality patient care through improving timely completion of discharge reports. The work undertaken by an ACT Health GP, with extensive forensic mental health qualifications and clinical experience, to review and complete complex mental health discharge summaries was recognised as outstanding.
Madam Speaker, the surveyors are so impressed by the improvements ACT Health has implemented that they have encouraged ACT Health staff to publish and submit a number of the improvement activities for national quality improvements awards. These are just some examples of the tremendous work that ACT Health has undertaken over the past three months. Minister Rattenbury and I have both congratulated and thanked ACT Health staff for their enormous effort, professionalism and dedication to this achievement.
But, Madam Speaker, as you know, improving quality and safety is an ongoing process in the health system that does not start or end with accreditation. This is certainly something that ACT Health recognises. ACT Health has already begun preparatory work for the next re-accreditation process where it will be assessed against new and even more stringent national standards, a challenge it is more than up to.
ACT Health’s commitment to continuous improvement was recognised by the surveyors, who commented that the systems and processes put in place over the past few months will assist staff and the leadership to drive towards excellence and safety in all patient care services.
As Minister for Health and Wellbeing I am committed to overseeing a health system that is constantly striving to improve safety and quality. That is a big part of why the government took the decision in March to reform ACT Health into two distinct organisations. As I have previously outlined, one organisation will be responsible for the clinical operations and will focus on the operational delivery of quality health services to the community. It will be responsible for the delivery of health care in ACT Health acute, sub-acute and community health settings, as well as having responsibility for driving continuous improvement in health service delivery.
The other will be responsible for strategic stewardship of the ACT’s health system. It will oversee the system as a whole, set the strategic direction for health services and health research and innovation, and drive a preventative health approach, as well as provide health protection services. Both organisations will be committed to keeping our community healthy through person-centred care, quality, innovation, engagement and accountability.
Madam Speaker, this organisational reform will ensure that we have a sustainable health system that is better able to respond to our community’s future health needs as we continue to grow and as our community changes. There will be greater autonomy and clarity by having two organisations that are appropriately resourced and focused on what they need to do.
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