❓ Mr Cook questions the differences between the Fiona Stanley Hospital SERCO contract and the Royal Perth Hospital contract that led to superbug outbreaks in the 1990s. Dr Hames responds by outlining the improvements made to the new contract to avoid past mistakes.
AnsweredQoN 459Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIONA STANLEY HOSPITAL — SERCO CONTRACT
I have a supplementary question. How is this contract different from the Royal Perth Hospital contract that led to all the superbug outbreaks during the last attempt to privatise the health system in the 1990s? Dr K.D. HAMES
I have a supplementary question. How is this contract different from the Royal Perth Hospital contract that led to all the superbug outbreaks during the last attempt to privatise the health system in the 1990s? Dr K.D. HAMES
AnswerView source ↗
That is an excellent question because it gives me the opportunity to tell members of the enormous difference between the two. In those days, there was an attempt to go to the private sector to take over the cleaning contract. In my view it was done wrongly. I have said this to the union, and I have said this publicly. People who were support staff, who were not necessarily trained as teachers, were brought into the contract to look after the whole cleaning services. Frankly, they were not sufficiently experienced, and they were not sufficient staff to do the job properly. That is why we have made sure on this occasion that we have clear requirements in the contract, clear response times and clear outcomes. We have made sure that the contract has not been done in isolation, as it was last time as a microcosm of the total management system in place in Royal Perth Hospital. We have done it as a large system, copying off what members opposite did in the prison system. Well done!
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: That is an excellent question because it gives me the opportunity to tell members of the enormous difference between the two. In those days, there was an attempt to go to the private sector to take over the cleaning contract. In my view it was done wrongly. I have said this to the union, and I have said this publicly. People who were support staff, who were not necessarily trained as teachers, were brought into the contract to look after the whole cleaning services. Frankly, they were not sufficiently experienced, and they were not sufficient staff to do the job properly. That is why we have made sure on this occasion that we have clear requirements in the contract, clear response times and clear outcomes. We have made sure that the contract has not been done in isolation, as it was last time as a microcosm of the total management system in place in Royal Perth Hospital. We have done it as a large system, copying off what members opposite did in the prison system. Well done!
That is an excellent question because it gives me the opportunity to tell members of the enormous difference between the two. In those days, there was an attempt to go to the private sector to take over the cleaning contract. In my view it was done wrongly. I have said this to the union, and I have said this publicly. People who were support staff, who were not necessarily trained as teachers, were brought into the contract to look after the whole cleaning services. Frankly, they were not sufficiently experienced, and they were not sufficient staff to do the job properly. That is why we have made sure on this occasion that we have clear requirements in the contract, clear response times and clear outcomes. We have made sure that the contract has not been done in isolation, as it was last time as a microcosm of the total management system in place in Royal Perth Hospital. We have done it as a large system, copying off what members opposite did in the prison system. Well done!
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: That is an excellent question because it gives me the opportunity to tell members of the enormous difference between the two. In those days, there was an attempt to go to the private sector to take over the cleaning contract. In my view it was done wrongly. I have said this to the union, and I have said this publicly. People who were support staff, who were not necessarily trained as teachers, were brought into the contract to look after the whole cleaning services. Frankly, they were not sufficiently experienced, and they were not sufficient staff to do the job properly. That is why we have made sure on this occasion that we have clear requirements in the contract, clear response times and clear outcomes. We have made sure that the contract has not been done in isolation, as it was last time as a microcosm of the total management system in place in Royal Perth Hospital. We have done it as a large system, copying off what members opposite did in the prison system. Well done!
That is an excellent question because it gives me the opportunity to tell members of the enormous difference between the two. In those days, there was an attempt to go to the private sector to take over the cleaning contract. In my view it was done wrongly. I have said this to the union, and I have said this publicly. People who were support staff, who were not necessarily trained as teachers, were brought into the contract to look after the whole cleaning services. Frankly, they were not sufficiently experienced, and they were not sufficient staff to do the job properly. That is why we have made sure on this occasion that we have clear requirements in the contract, clear response times and clear outcomes. We have made sure that the contract has not been done in isolation, as it was last time as a microcosm of the total management system in place in Royal Perth Hospital. We have done it as a large system, copying off what members opposite did in the prison system. Well done!
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