A WA parliamentary question seeks detailed data on payroll errors within the Health Corporate Network (HCN), including incidence, inquiry volume, back-pay frequency, and outstanding underpayments. The response reveals limited data collection and tracking of underpayments, while asserting overpayments are pursued.

AnsweredQoN 2926Legislative Assembly
Asked
19 May 2010
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

With reference to the management of Department of Health staff salary payments by Health Corporate Network:
(a) what records or statistics, including Tell Health Corporate Network (HCN), are kept to identify the incidence of errors in fortnightly pay runs for staff;
(b) what is the number of staff that would regularly be paid in each pay period;
(c) how many inquiries are received by HCN from staff and management within the Health Department on average each fortnight for pay errors, including over and under payments;
(d) what is the number of occasions on average each fortnight when a member of staff has had to receive back-pay following errors being identified in their normal pay schedule;
(e) how many occasions per fortnight does a back-pay Lattice or Alesco code need to be used to process a salary payment for a member of staff;
(f) what were the total number of identified errors in each of the following years:
(i) 2007–2008; and
(ii) 2008–2009;
(g) how many staff currently have outstanding underpayments and what is the average length of time to rectify identified underpayments;
(h) how many enquiries regarding pays are logged on the document management system Objective;
(i) how many telephone calls to payroll are logged each fortnight;
(j) what is the average length of time to respond to these enquiries; and
(k) how many doctors have been overpaid, who HCN has not pursued for re-payment, given that a figure of up to $20,000 for one consultant (relating to overpaid back-pay for their last Enterprise Bargaining Agreement) has been reported to have been written off?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
15 June 2010
Responded by
Minister for Health
Response time
27 days
(a) An overpayments register is maintained and records are kept where an underpayment has resulted in a separate payment outside of the normal payroll cycle.
(b) On average, 37,800 staff are paid each fortnight.
(c) HCN's systems do not allow this information to be separated from other payroll inquiries.
(d) This statistic is not maintained by Health Corporate Network (HCN).
(e) This code is only generally used for processing backpays associated with the implementation of new industrial agreements and similar exercises.
(f) Overpayments
(i) 775
(ii) 1772
Underpayment statistics are not maintained because they are generally adjusted within the next pay cycle.
(g) These statistics are not maintained. As previously stated, they are generally adjusted within the next pay cycle.
(h) All documentation in relation to payroll transactions is stored in Objective. HCN is unable to extract statistics in relation to specific enquiries.
(i) Telephone calls at HCN are not logged
.
(j) Unable to provide this statistic. In most cases, enquiries are responded to immediately.
(k) HCN is pursuing all overpayments for recovery including doctors. No overpayments have been written off.
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