Page 3155 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019
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uncommon for health systems across the nation to experience periods of increased demand. Ambulance bypass is one of the strategies used to ensure that there can be a small amount of pressure taken off the emergency department when there is a surge in demand. As it was explained to me on Friday, it is as much about sending a signal to the staff of the emergency department that something is being done to ease the pressure: you do not have to worry about an ambulance turning up unless it is a paediatric or critical patient. My understanding is that, on that particular night, only three patients were, in fact, diverted from the Canberra Hospital emergency department to Calvary. I will obviously correct that if that number subsequently has to be corrected. While it is a rare occurrence in the ACT, it is part of Canberra Hospital’s system to ensure that all patients can be managed clinically appropriately when there is an increase in demand for services.
MR HANSON: Minister, with regard to the bypass on 14 August, when were you notified of that event? Was it prior to or subsequent and what action did you take?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I was called by the CEO of Canberra Health Services at 11 on that evening. I had a conversation with her about what ambulance bypass meant and what was happening to resolve the situation, the relationship with Calvary and the work that they were doing to use private hospital services. I considered whether it would be helpful for me to get out of bed and go into the Canberra Hospital but I thought that probably I would not be particularly helpful in the situation. Frankly, I went back to sleep, trusting that the CEO of Canberra Health Services had it all under control.
MS CHEYNE: Minister, do you have confidence in the management making a decision on whether a bypass is appropriate?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Cheyne for the supplementary. Yes, I absolutely have confidence in the CEO of Canberra Health Services and her staff to make those decisions about what is clinically appropriate and what is appropriate in the management of the hospital. The CEO of Canberra Health Services is a very experienced person with respect to working in hospitals—as you know, a former nurse, Madam Speaker—and has been and is doing an excellent job in Canberra Hospital and Canberra Health Services.
Canberra Hospital—emergency department bypass
MISS C BURCH: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, during the Canberra Hospital emergency department bypass on 14 August 2019, patients were discharged late at night to the National Capital Private Hospital to ease pressure on the hospital. Minister, how many patients were transferred late at night on 14 August to the National Capital Private Hospital and, of those, how many were transferred back to the Canberra Hospital?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Miss Burch for the question. I would note that “discharged” is not the same as being transferred to the National Capital Private Hospital. That is not a discharge; that is a transfer to a different hospital that can provide the service that that patient needs. I was assured by the CEO—
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