Ms ROSOL question to MINISTER for HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH and WELLBEING, Mrs ARCHER
[10.11 a.m.]
Yesterday the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) reported two patients have died after long waits for a bed in inappropriate spaces in Launceston General Hospital’s (LGH) emergency department. It’s a devastating result of your government’s inaction on the health crisis, but unfortunately it’s not surprising. The ANMF has been sounding the alarm for months about unsafe conditions in the LGH. They’ve said systemic changes are needed to improve access and flow. Banning ambulance ramping hasn’t fixed the problems in our stretched health system. It’s moved it inside hospitals. The ambulance ramping inquiry handed down its report more than a year ago, but there’s still no response from your government. Will you take up the 41 recommendations of the ambulance ramping inquiry and ANMF to improve access and flow before more people die waiting for healthcare in the state’s EDs?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the honourable member for the question. You asked a number of questions in there, but I will start by the claims made by the ANMF, which are very serious and I have sought advice from the Department of Health about them. I am advised that the department is not aware of any adverse patient outcomes or patient safety incidents consistent with those claims. Further, based on the further details released by the ANMF through the media yesterday and noting that they have not raised this directly with either myself or through the department, I can advise that all deaths in the recent past at the LGH ED have been reviewed. While the department cannot identify any situations that match fully with the ANMF’s descriptions, I’m advised that, based on that review, all patients received clinically appropriate care and treatment matched to their needs.
Speaking generally, the LGH has well-established patient safety and quality protocols to monitor the quality of patient care and review individual cases. All patients who present to the ED are triaged on arrival and those with the most urgent clinical needs are always prioritised and seen first.
That leads me also to the comments that you made about ambulances and transfer of care. There was some somewhat confusing messaging in those media reports yesterday about getting a transfer of care. We understand, and I have repeatedly said in here, that it is important for people to be able to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. That is why we are continued to be committed to our transfer-of-protocols.
In relation to access and flow issues at the emergency department, there are a whole range of initiatives that have been put in place to keep people out of hospital and in their own homes, reducing unnecessary emergency department presentations, and we’re also committed to delivering new and innovative virtual care options to meet the healthcare needs of Tasmania. We have Care@home, a 24/7 statewide interdisciplinary service that provides virtual clinical assessment, remote monitoring, chronic disease management and after-hours palliative support statewide. Hospital@home, we’ve implemented secondary triage and a whole range of other initiatives and we have seen urgent care clinics as well developed in this state and we continue to encourage people to know their care needs as well.
Supplementary Question
Ms ROSOL – My question was quite specific about 41 recommendations of the ambulance ramping inquiry and I repeat my question and ask whether the government will take up those 41 recommendations and implement them.
Mrs ARCHER – With respect, your question wasn’t very specific, and I went into a number of the issues that you raised. Importantly, what I have said is that we remain committed to our transfer-of-care protocols.
Dr Woodruff – What about the ambulance ramping inquiry findings?
The SPEAKER – Leader of the Greens.
Mrs ARCHER – We remain committed to getting people the help that they need from an ambulance as quickly as possible so that they can be in the care of an ambulance as quickly as possible.
