❓ Hon Nick Goiran asks about the timeliness of the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) in notifying families of the deaths of represented persons, following an internal review. The Attorney General refers to previous Ombudsman reports and tables a practice standard.
AnsweredQoN 1207Legislative Council
Asked
22 November 2022
Member
Portfolio
parliamentary secretary representing the Attorney General
QuestionView source ↗
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE — REPRESENTED
PERSONS — NOTIFICATION OF DEATHS
1207. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to page 40 of the Office of
the Public Advocate's Annual report 2021/22 , which states —
In March 2022 an internal review was
conducted of responses to the deaths of represented persons which had been
reported to the Office of the Public Advocate from 1 July 2021 to 28 February
2022. The review examined 173 reports. The
review of these cases found that guardians and managers are making best efforts to ensure that family and significant others are informed in a timely way when
a represented person dies.
(1) Of the 173
reports examined, what was the average amount of time taken to notify family and
significant others when a represented person died?
(2) Is there a practice standard that outlines the
process for notifying family and significant others when a death of a represented
person occurs?
(3) Will the
minister table that practice standard?
PERSONS — NOTIFICATION OF DEATHS
1207. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to page 40 of the Office of
the Public Advocate's Annual report 2021/22 , which states —
In March 2022 an internal review was
conducted of responses to the deaths of represented persons which had been
reported to the Office of the Public Advocate from 1 July 2021 to 28 February
2022. The review examined 173 reports. The
review of these cases found that guardians and managers are making best efforts to ensure that family and significant others are informed in a timely way when
a represented person dies.
(1) Of the 173
reports examined, what was the average amount of time taken to notify family and
significant others when a represented person died?
(2) Is there a practice standard that outlines the
process for notifying family and significant others when a death of a represented
person occurs?
(3) Will the
minister table that practice standard?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following answer is based on information provided to me by
the Attorney General.
(1) The response
times of the Office of the Public Advocate in notifying families of the deaths
of represented persons was investigated by the Ombudsman at the Attorney
General's request, culminating in the report An investigation into the Office of the Public Advocate's role
in notifying the families of Mrs Joyce Savage , Mr Robert Ayling and Mr
Kenneth Hartley of the deaths of Mrs Savage, Mr Ayling and Mr Hartley ,
tabled on 3 August 2021, and a progress report tabled on 18 October 2022. If
the member requires data beyond what has been included in those reports, it is
requested that he place his question on notice.
(2)–(3) Yes.
Please refer to the tabled paper.
of the question. The following answer is based on information provided to me by
the Attorney General.
(1) The response
times of the Office of the Public Advocate in notifying families of the deaths
of represented persons was investigated by the Ombudsman at the Attorney
General's request, culminating in the report An investigation into the Office of the Public Advocate's role
in notifying the families of Mrs Joyce Savage , Mr Robert Ayling and Mr
Kenneth Hartley of the deaths of Mrs Savage, Mr Ayling and Mr Hartley ,
tabled on 3 August 2021, and a progress report tabled on 18 October 2022. If
the member requires data beyond what has been included in those reports, it is
requested that he place his question on notice.
(2)–(3) Yes.
Please refer to the tabled paper.
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