❓ A parliamentary question regarding the engagement of a consultant to address community concerns about reduced nursing staff at Tom Price Hospital, and the Minister's response detailing staffing levels and service changes.
AnsweredQoN 558Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOM PRICE NURSING STAFF - ENGAGEMENT OF CONSULTANT
I refer to the minister’s media statement released on 22 August titled “Tom Price nursing roster changes match patient demand” and to the government’s engagement of a consultant from Port Hedland to address community concerns. (1) Which consultant has been engaged, on what basis has the consultant been employed and how much has been budgeted to pay for the consultant’s services? (2) How will the consultant address community concerns about the reduced staffing levels at the hospital? (3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY
I refer to the minister’s media statement released on 22 August titled “Tom Price nursing roster changes match patient demand” and to the government’s engagement of a consultant from Port Hedland to address community concerns. (1) Which consultant has been engaged, on what basis has the consultant been employed and how much has been budgeted to pay for the consultant’s services? (2) How will the consultant address community concerns about the reduced staffing levels at the hospital? (3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(1) Which consultant has been engaged, on what basis has the consultant been employed and how much has been budgeted to pay for the consultant’s services? (2) How will the consultant address community concerns about the reduced staffing levels at the hospital? (3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(2) How will the consultant address community concerns about the reduced staffing levels at the hospital? (3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(1) Which consultant has been engaged, on what basis has the consultant been employed and how much has been budgeted to pay for the consultant’s services? (2) How will the consultant address community concerns about the reduced staffing levels at the hospital? (3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(2) How will the consultant address community concerns about the reduced staffing levels at the hospital? (3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(3) What action will the minister take if the consultant is unable to allay ongoing community concerns about the number of nursing staff at the hospital? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
I thank the member for Greenough for some notice of this question, which has enabled me to gain the following information from the Department of Health. (1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(1)-(2) Ms Jenny Thomas from Northern Edge Consultants Pty Ltd, based in Port Hedland, has been engaged at a total cost of $3 000. Ms Thomas has been engaged initially for a total of four days, with three days at Tom Price to meet with interested community members and one day to write up the outcomes of the meetings for the WA Country Health Service. Ms Thomas is an independent consultant for individuals and groups who will meet to present their issues and questions to her. She will also provide information and advice to them. Ms Thomas’s role is firstly to ensure that interested persons in the community can speak freely to her about their concerns. Secondly, it is to listen to and advise the health service of the concerns and questions provided to her. Thirdly, it is to provide a conduit for factual information, responses and feedback to be given by the health service to the interested or concerned community members. (3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
(3) Engagement of a consultant will allow the communities’ concerns to be relayed to the health service and for factual information concerning the changes to be communicated to interested or concerned community members. We hope that by correcting the previous misinformation we will allay community concerns. I will await the outcomes of her consultations before I give a more definitive answer to question (3). It should be borne in mind that in the 1970s, when the town of Tom Price was established, there was a busy 12-bed hospital. The beds were occupied most of the time. Today, the bed occupancy at Tom Price District Hospital is two. That level has come down from 3.11 beds only four years ago. In that time the nursing staff have not been adjusted to reflect the changing utilisation of the beds at the hospital. When the nursing hours per patient day model was introduced with effect from July, the number of full-time equivalents at Tom Price District Hospital were reduced from 13.43 to 9.75 FTE nurses. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 to 10.00 pm, which is the time when most people present to the emergency department at the Tom Price District Hospital. There is a 24-hour a day medical on-call system in place with a backup call for a registered on-call nurse who would be called if circumstances required an additional registered general nurse at the hospital. In addition, there is a clinical nurse manager on duty from eight to four on weekdays, as well as the additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. Those people will give priority to clinical duties, if required, ahead of other duties. The real growth in services at Tom Price District Hospital has been in the outpatient area of mental health, visiting medical specialists, population health and things of that nature. The challenge for Tom Price is to make sure that the dollars that are spent on health services there meet the needs today rather than a patient presentation and inpatient model that is many years old and is no longer relevant today. Dr K.D. Hames : After 11.00 pm, in a town where people may have been drinking, a registered nurse may be there on her own. An aggressive patient may arrive. What will happen then? What backup will she have? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Other nurses will be on call, as will some doctors. There are other staff in the hospital. It is not as though just one nurse will be the totality of the staff employed at the hospital. This is a staffing formula that has now been implemented the length and breadth of the state with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation, which sought to have the nursing hours per patient day formula implemented. What we found in the Pilbara and the Gascoyne was that some hospitals were overstaffed and some were understaffed. According to the number of patients who presented, Tom Price District Hospital was overstaffed. Other hospitals, such as Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha and Carnarvon Regional Hospital in the Gascoyne, were understaffed. Their staffing has been increased to make sure that there is an equitable staffing formula. Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Dr K.D. Hames : As long as there are people there. Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : There are. Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Dr K.D. Hames : It is no good getting an on-call person when someone is being aggressive. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I agree. There are other staff. This simply relates to the number of nursing staff who are there at the time.
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