❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health regarding the closure of the general practice at Fremantle Hospital, seeking clarity on replacement arrangements, debt resolution, and tender process integrity. The Minister's response outlines interim measures, reviews of demand, and justifications for decisions made during the tender process.
AnsweredQoN 8732Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to answers to previous questions without notice where the Minister has indicated that he is committed to ensuring some sort of hospital-based general practice service is retained at Fremantle Hospital, which has existed there for over two decades, and I ask:
(a) given the current general practice will vacate the hospital on 28 September 2012, what arrangements, if any, will be in place for patients who present to the hospital from this date onwards to see a general practitioner;
(b) When will the State Government finalise negotiations with a new service provider to ensure that a general practice service continues to be based at the hospital;
(c) considering that the Department took four months with the tender process at Fremantle Hospital earlier this year, only to award no tender, how long does the Department expect the residents of Fremantle to be without a hospital-based general practice service;
(d) what steps, if any, has the Department already taken to ensure a new provider is in place as soon as possible, for example has it called for new tenders, has it invited other unsuccessful applicants in the earlier round to re-apply;
(e) in relation to the Department's debt of approximately $220,000 outstanding to the previous Fremantle Hospital General Practice, has that debt been resolved, and if not, when does the Minister anticipate the debt to be paid;
(f) was Appendix 4 removed from the latest tender submission that was made by the Fremantle Hospital General Practice in the previous tender submission, which included letters of support from the Mayor of Fremantle, the former Minister for Health, the Dean of the Medical School and the Head of Mental Health at Fremantle Hospital;
(g) will the removal of Appendix 4 be investigated further, and if necessary an apology made to both those who submitted letters of support for their submission being omitted, and to the Fremantle Hospital General Practice for the omission of their submission?
(a) given the current general practice will vacate the hospital on 28 September 2012, what arrangements, if any, will be in place for patients who present to the hospital from this date onwards to see a general practitioner;
(b) When will the State Government finalise negotiations with a new service provider to ensure that a general practice service continues to be based at the hospital;
(c) considering that the Department took four months with the tender process at Fremantle Hospital earlier this year, only to award no tender, how long does the Department expect the residents of Fremantle to be without a hospital-based general practice service;
(d) what steps, if any, has the Department already taken to ensure a new provider is in place as soon as possible, for example has it called for new tenders, has it invited other unsuccessful applicants in the earlier round to re-apply;
(e) in relation to the Department's debt of approximately $220,000 outstanding to the previous Fremantle Hospital General Practice, has that debt been resolved, and if not, when does the Minister anticipate the debt to be paid;
(f) was Appendix 4 removed from the latest tender submission that was made by the Fremantle Hospital General Practice in the previous tender submission, which included letters of support from the Mayor of Fremantle, the former Minister for Health, the Dean of the Medical School and the Head of Mental Health at Fremantle Hospital;
(g) will the removal of Appendix 4 be investigated further, and if necessary an apology made to both those who submitted letters of support for their submission being omitted, and to the Fremantle Hospital General Practice for the omission of their submission?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
7 November 2012
Responded by
Minister for Health
Response time
42 days
(a)-(d) Patients have been informed of the new location of the previous Hospital General Practice (HGP) and also advised of alternative practices in the Fremantle area. South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) is currently reviewing the demand for general practice services at Fremantle Hospital Health Service (FHHS). When the pattern of demand is established, SMHS will work with local providers to establish whatever service is required. The After-Hours GP service continues to operate from the FHHS site.
(e) The Department of Health does not have a debt of any size to HGP. HGP is an independent entity and there was no contractual arrangement between the Department of Health and HGP. HGP has made a request for an ex-gratia payment from the Minister to resolve its financial difficulties, which the Minister has refused following recommendations made by the State Solicitor's Office.
(f) Appendix 4 consisted of letters of support for HGP. These documents were not requested in the Expression of Interest (EOI) process. An independent probity adviser was appointed to oversee the EOI process and their advice was requested. They recommended that material not called for in the EOI document could not be considered as part of the evaluation, as all applicants must be evaluated on the same criteria, based on the EOI document. The letters of support were therefore not considered in order to prevent a breach of due process.
(g) No further investigation of the removal of these documents is necessary. The independent probity adviser's report concluded that the EOI process was managed fairly and in accordance with public sector standards.
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(e) The Department of Health does not have a debt of any size to HGP. HGP is an independent entity and there was no contractual arrangement between the Department of Health and HGP. HGP has made a request for an ex-gratia payment from the Minister to resolve its financial difficulties, which the Minister has refused following recommendations made by the State Solicitor's Office.
(f) Appendix 4 consisted of letters of support for HGP. These documents were not requested in the Expression of Interest (EOI) process. An independent probity adviser was appointed to oversee the EOI process and their advice was requested. They recommended that material not called for in the EOI document could not be considered as part of the evaluation, as all applicants must be evaluated on the same criteria, based on the EOI document. The letters of support were therefore not considered in order to prevent a breach of due process.
(g) No further investigation of the removal of these documents is necessary. The independent probity adviser's report concluded that the EOI process was managed fairly and in accordance with public sector standards.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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