Page 3760 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 September 2018
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structures and leadership in place to make sure people get the health care they need, where they need it and when they need it.
As I said, it has been a big year for health care in Canberra. We have had so many huge achievements, and just some of these include opening the University of Canberra Hospital, opening the Gungahlin walk-in centre, creating a new medical and research portfolio, and just last week signing an MOU between ACT Health, the ANU and Australia’s pre-eminent cancer centre, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
In this year’s budget we funded 72 more public hospital beds, more elective surgery to get more people off elective surgery waitlists, and we funded more emergency surgery. We completed the data review and funded the data warehouse. We completed the quality strategy, which was noted as excellent by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. We achieved the full three-year accreditation of ACT Health. We funded the MoST trial, to open up clinical trials for Canberrans right here in their own city. We opened a completely refurbished geriatric ward at Canberra Hospital. We funded free meningococcal ACWY vaccinations for Canberra’s teens and free flu vaccines for kids under five.
We added more beds and a major upgrade to Calvary’s public maternity ward. We opened new operating theatres at Calvary Public Hospital. We signed a new framework for collaboration with Calvary Public Hospital. (Extension of time granted.) We signed an MOU with nurses to work collaboratively on a nurse-patient ratio framework. We have identified a location for the Weston Creek walk-in centre and we have significantly expanded hospital in the home. And there is more to come.
To build on the achievements to date, as I have said, I have announced the establishment of an independent review into the workplace culture within ACT public health services and I have also announced the establishment of a clinical leadership forum. Both these initiatives are designed to complement a broader package of initiatives being implemented by the executive within ACT Health, all of which are aimed at further improving workplace culture. I intend to provide the Assembly with further information about these particular initiatives in our October sitting week.
As stated above, I have given careful consideration to the views put forward and I genuinely do not believe that a board of inquiry is the right mechanism to be used in this instance. The main purpose of the independent review will be to elicit information to enhance cultural improvement and identify weaknesses. It is not a forum for grievances or vengeance.
I also acknowledge Minister Rattenbury’s comments on 1 August in the Assembly in the debate when responding to the opposition’s first call for a board of inquiry. Minister Rattenbury spoke about the fact that the Liberals’ call for a board of inquiry focused a lot on past issues and did not recognise work that has happened over recent months or the many positive changes occurring in ACT Health.
I absolutely acknowledge these issues are serious, but I am optimistic about the changes that are happening in ACT Health. They are positive for both workplace culture and patient outcomes. I am dismayed by the public debate, which is genuinely
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