❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister for Health regarding the implementation of a critical recommendation related to the Perth Children's Hospital emergency department resuscitation team. The Minister defends the actions taken and outlines changes made since taking office.
AnsweredQoN 117Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PERTH CHILDREN'S
HOSPITAL — EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT — RESUSCITATION TEAM
117. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
Given the significance of this recommendation, why was the minister not across
her brief and when will this critical recommendation be put in place?
The SPEAKER : Member, I just
remind you that you again asked two questions as a supplementary when you are
required to ask one.
HOSPITAL — EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT — RESUSCITATION TEAM
117. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
Given the significance of this recommendation, why was the minister not across
her brief and when will this critical recommendation be put in place?
The SPEAKER : Member, I just
remind you that you again asked two questions as a supplementary when you are
required to ask one.
AnswerView source ↗
I think I just quite clearly
outlined exactly what occurred and how it occurred to the chamber. If the
member is not satisfied with that explanation, I am happy to meet with her and
walk through it again.
I will say that since I have been
minister, we have overseen a significant changeover of the board. The former
minister appointed the very highly regarded Dr Rosanna Capolingua to lead the
board. The current board has some of our best health leaders. There is so much
firepower on that board that is working with the organisation to ensure it is
doing everything it can to restore trust in our tertiary children's
hospital. We have also overseen a significant changeover of the executive,
including the chief executive. With the director general, we have seen the
intervention that was implemented under the act, which had a range of
recommendations and findings, and they are also being implemented. I have
ongoing communication with the Aswath family around how those recommendations
are being implemented.
I have worked diligently, as has the
CAHS board and executive, to implement recommendations and ensure that we are
providing the safest environment. We have all seen very reasonable challenges
in the community, and that includes those staffing challenges around COVID. It
is our expectation that they will be rapidly recruiting into those senior nursing roles. I also make the point
that as well as those senior resuscitation nurses, we have put in place a senior triage nurse, so there are now two senior
triage nurses; that was not in place in April 2021. There is also the waiting room nurse, which is in place in not only this emergency department,
but also other emergency departments around the state, and Aishwarya's
CARE Call. There is significant and lasting change across the system around
this terrible incident, and no-one wants to see it happen again.
The SPEAKER : Members, that
concludes question time.
outlined exactly what occurred and how it occurred to the chamber. If the
member is not satisfied with that explanation, I am happy to meet with her and
walk through it again.
I will say that since I have been
minister, we have overseen a significant changeover of the board. The former
minister appointed the very highly regarded Dr Rosanna Capolingua to lead the
board. The current board has some of our best health leaders. There is so much
firepower on that board that is working with the organisation to ensure it is
doing everything it can to restore trust in our tertiary children's
hospital. We have also overseen a significant changeover of the executive,
including the chief executive. With the director general, we have seen the
intervention that was implemented under the act, which had a range of
recommendations and findings, and they are also being implemented. I have
ongoing communication with the Aswath family around how those recommendations
are being implemented.
I have worked diligently, as has the
CAHS board and executive, to implement recommendations and ensure that we are
providing the safest environment. We have all seen very reasonable challenges
in the community, and that includes those staffing challenges around COVID. It
is our expectation that they will be rapidly recruiting into those senior nursing roles. I also make the point
that as well as those senior resuscitation nurses, we have put in place a senior triage nurse, so there are now two senior
triage nurses; that was not in place in April 2021. There is also the waiting room nurse, which is in place in not only this emergency department,
but also other emergency departments around the state, and Aishwarya's
CARE Call. There is significant and lasting change across the system around
this terrible incident, and no-one wants to see it happen again.
The SPEAKER : Members, that
concludes question time.
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