Page 2762 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 13 August 2019
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MR RATTENBURY: I thank Ms Lawder for the question. A letter came while I was on leave, and I have been looking into that since I returned. The letter was from Mrs Dunne in the first instance. I have a draft on my desk to write back to her. I have been looking into this matter. Mrs Dunne’s letter specifically related to a particular specialist and that specialist’s role. That specialist no longer works for ACT health services.
What I have been able to ascertain is that any deaf or blind person that presents at health services in the ACT, whether that is Canberra Health Services, mental health, justice health or alcohol and drug services divisions specifically, has access to interpreter services available throughout all services within 24 hours of notice. That can include onsite Auslan interpreters in the hospitals. So there is support there.
In terms of the specialist question that Ms Lawder is asking about, I will take that part of the question on notice and come back to her.
MS LAWDER: Minister, how can you guarantee access to interpreters for deaf and deafblind people, given the very small number of interpreters in the ACT, let alone their availability at short notice for an emergency in the ED of the Canberra Hospital?
MR RATTENBURY: Canberra Health Services seeks to ensure that that service is available. It is obviously critically important to enable people who come to the hospital to get the best care available and for our medical staff to be able to understand the reason they have come to the hospital. What I can tell you, as I touched on earlier, is that these services are provided. In emergency situations sign language communication is provided by the Deaf Society, a 24-hour emergency interpreter service in the ACT which is called on by Canberra Health Services.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, how is it that a contracted doctor who had expertise suited to servicing the deaf and deafblind mental health community no longer works in the ACT and it appears that there are no other specialist psychiatric services available to this cohort?
MR RATTENBURY: Mrs Dunne, I will be sending you a letter on this exact matter in the next day or two. In terms of the specialist, in around early 2018 there was a discussion between ACT Health and the doctor in question about her contract. ACT Health sought to insert a number of performance indicators and other changes into the contract. The doctor did not wish to continue with ACT Health on that basis and has returned to private practice. That is the advice I have, but I will provide further details to Mrs Dunne in my written response to her.
Health—adult mental health unit
MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Minister, in your answer to estimates question E19-250 you said that the adult mental health unit was at 106.2 per cent occupancy during 2018-19. Minister, is it reasonable and what are the implications for healthcare outcomes for patients when the adult mental health unit is operating at or over capacity?
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