❓ A parliamentary question addresses concerns regarding the care plan and support for Eden Turner, a child with complex health needs, specifically questioning discrepancies in promised funding, clinical care assumptions, and restrictions on photography at Princess Margaret Hospital.
AnsweredQoN 396Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
EDEN TURNER — CHILD AND ADOLESCENT
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAM
396. Hon ADELE
FARINA to the minister representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to question without notice 378 concerning Eden
Turner.
(1) In view of
the minister's answer that funding would be made available for a
trained carer to care for Eden at home, why then have Department of Health
officers told Jessica Turner that no overnight respite care will be provided to
assist the family to care for Eden at home?
(2) Why does
the clinical care plan being developed for Eden Turner assume that Eden will
require suctioning every two hours when currently she is being suctioned at
least every 15 minutes and this has not improved for the whole year that Eden
has been hospitalised?
(4) Is Jessica
Turner being denied funding for an overnight carer as a means of punishment
because she went to the media with her story?
(4) On what
legal basis have Princess Margaret Hospital for Children staff told Jessica
that she is not permitted to take photos of her daughter Eden—photos
that do not identify PMH or any staff at PMH—and that she is to remove
the photos of Eden posted on Jessica's Facebook page?
The PRESIDENT : I think one of the answers to that
question is outside the minister's brief, but I give the call to the
Minister for Mental Health.
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAM
396. Hon ADELE
FARINA to the minister representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to question without notice 378 concerning Eden
Turner.
(1) In view of
the minister's answer that funding would be made available for a
trained carer to care for Eden at home, why then have Department of Health
officers told Jessica Turner that no overnight respite care will be provided to
assist the family to care for Eden at home?
(2) Why does
the clinical care plan being developed for Eden Turner assume that Eden will
require suctioning every two hours when currently she is being suctioned at
least every 15 minutes and this has not improved for the whole year that Eden
has been hospitalised?
(4) Is Jessica
Turner being denied funding for an overnight carer as a means of punishment
because she went to the media with her story?
(4) On what
legal basis have Princess Margaret Hospital for Children staff told Jessica
that she is not permitted to take photos of her daughter Eden—photos
that do not identify PMH or any staff at PMH—and that she is to remove
the photos of Eden posted on Jessica's Facebook page?
The PRESIDENT : I think one of the answers to that
question is outside the minister's brief, but I give the call to the
Minister for Mental Health.
AnswerView source ↗
Thank you, Mr President, and I thank the honourable member
for some notice of this question. The following information has been provided
to me by the Minister for Health.
(1) Options
related to supporting the family at night have been explained to the Turner
family by the Princess Margaret Hospital social worker and senior nursing
staff. At this point in time, the exact nature of night care is not known, and
all options must be examined. No decisions have been made as yet.
(2) When a
child with Eden's condition is hospitalised at PMH, she would be
considered unwell, and her clinical needs would very likely increase. This
would include an increase in oxygen requirements, and most likely an increase
in suctioning. As the child's clinical status improves, interventions
would reduce back to what was considered normal for that child.
(3) No. The
plan for care of Eden Turner remains a high priority for clinical staff at PMH
and Bunbury Regional Hospital. Negotiating the options for family support is
part of discharge planning for the family, and seeking the best outcome for
Eden remains paramount.
(4) The PMH
policy relating to photography and the management of images has been clearly
explained by PMH clinical staff to Eden's parents. The parents were
told by the senior nursing staff and the social worker that photography is
allowed, as long as the images are for personal use only. Ms Turner, Eden's
mother, was not told or asked to remove the images from Facebook.
for some notice of this question. The following information has been provided
to me by the Minister for Health.
(1) Options
related to supporting the family at night have been explained to the Turner
family by the Princess Margaret Hospital social worker and senior nursing
staff. At this point in time, the exact nature of night care is not known, and
all options must be examined. No decisions have been made as yet.
(2) When a
child with Eden's condition is hospitalised at PMH, she would be
considered unwell, and her clinical needs would very likely increase. This
would include an increase in oxygen requirements, and most likely an increase
in suctioning. As the child's clinical status improves, interventions
would reduce back to what was considered normal for that child.
(3) No. The
plan for care of Eden Turner remains a high priority for clinical staff at PMH
and Bunbury Regional Hospital. Negotiating the options for family support is
part of discharge planning for the family, and seeking the best outcome for
Eden remains paramount.
(4) The PMH
policy relating to photography and the management of images has been clearly
explained by PMH clinical staff to Eden's parents. The parents were
told by the senior nursing staff and the social worker that photography is
allowed, as long as the images are for personal use only. Ms Turner, Eden's
mother, was not told or asked to remove the images from Facebook.
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