❓ Mr. Catania raises concerns about nurse shortages and safety in Kimberley hospitals, referencing an ABC report. The Minister acknowledges workforce shortages but highlights increased nurse and doctor numbers across WA.
AnsweredQoN 616Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NURSES — KIMBERLEY
616. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Health:
Before I ask my question to the
Minister for Health, I wish to send our thoughts and prayers to Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon and their families as search
teams and the community work tirelessly to find their precious little girl Cleo.
We hope and pray that little Cleo is returned to her family. We all need to
assist by sharing information widely across our state and our country in an
effort to bring little Cleo home.
I refer to the disturbing report in
an ABC article on 7 October titled ''Nurse shortage SOS email predicts 'imminent service failure' in Kimberley
hospitals''. How does the minister expect to get nurses to live and work
in the Kimberley if he cannot even provide them with a safe environment
in which to live and work?
616. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Health:
Before I ask my question to the
Minister for Health, I wish to send our thoughts and prayers to Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon and their families as search
teams and the community work tirelessly to find their precious little girl Cleo.
We hope and pray that little Cleo is returned to her family. We all need to
assist by sharing information widely across our state and our country in an
effort to bring little Cleo home.
I refer to the disturbing report in
an ABC article on 7 October titled ''Nurse shortage SOS email predicts 'imminent service failure' in Kimberley
hospitals''. How does the minister expect to get nurses to live and work
in the Kimberley if he cannot even provide them with a safe environment
in which to live and work?
AnswerView source ↗
The actual article I think referred
to workforce shortages in the Kimberley. Obviously, workforce shortages are
something we are experiencing all over our health system. In fact, every health
system in the country is struggling to attract the nurses and doctors it needs
to make sure that we have the staffing to stand by the patients whom they care
for. That is why I am sure the member for North West Central would be very
pleased to hear that between 21 January and 21 August, the number of FTE nurses
right across the health system, from assistants in nursing to midwives, has
increased by over 1 000. I am sure that the member for North West Central would
be even more pleased to hear that as of 20 September this year, we have
attracted over 440 extra doctors into our health system in Western Australia
from overseas as part of the health department's overall recruitment
campaign.
It is true that in the WA Country
Health Service, we obviously have extra challenges for people working in some
of these harder to travel to areas and more isolated areas, but I must say that
they are doing a cracking job—they are doing a cracking job. We are
very proud of the work that the WA Country Health Service does, particularly
the work it is doing at the moment, in collaboration with the Aboriginal
medical services, the GP networks and the pharmacies
that work in these regions, to make sure that we can get everyone in those
areas vaccinated. They deserve our absolute vote of thanks.
to workforce shortages in the Kimberley. Obviously, workforce shortages are
something we are experiencing all over our health system. In fact, every health
system in the country is struggling to attract the nurses and doctors it needs
to make sure that we have the staffing to stand by the patients whom they care
for. That is why I am sure the member for North West Central would be very
pleased to hear that between 21 January and 21 August, the number of FTE nurses
right across the health system, from assistants in nursing to midwives, has
increased by over 1 000. I am sure that the member for North West Central would
be even more pleased to hear that as of 20 September this year, we have
attracted over 440 extra doctors into our health system in Western Australia
from overseas as part of the health department's overall recruitment
campaign.
It is true that in the WA Country
Health Service, we obviously have extra challenges for people working in some
of these harder to travel to areas and more isolated areas, but I must say that
they are doing a cracking job—they are doing a cracking job. We are
very proud of the work that the WA Country Health Service does, particularly
the work it is doing at the moment, in collaboration with the Aboriginal
medical services, the GP networks and the pharmacies
that work in these regions, to make sure that we can get everyone in those
areas vaccinated. They deserve our absolute vote of thanks.
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