❓ Mr. Stephens raises concerns about nursing roster changes at Tom Price District Hospital. Minister McGinty explains the changes are due to a statewide review to align staffing with patient needs, resulting in a redistribution of nurses to understaffed hospitals like Nickol Bay and Carnarvon, while maintaining 24/7 RN coverage in Tom Price.
AnsweredQoN 463Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOM PRICE DISTRICT HOSPITAL
The Minister for Health would be aware of my advocacy to him for the Tom Price community expressing concern about the change in the nursing roster at the Tom Price District Hospital. (1) Could the minister inform the house of the reasons behind those changes? (2) Will any improved services be delivered as a result of those changes? Mr J.A. McGINTY
The Minister for Health would be aware of my advocacy to him for the Tom Price community expressing concern about the change in the nursing roster at the Tom Price District Hospital. (1) Could the minister inform the house of the reasons behind those changes? (2) Will any improved services be delivered as a result of those changes? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
(1) Could the minister inform the house of the reasons behind those changes? (2) Will any improved services be delivered as a result of those changes? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
(2) Will any improved services be delivered as a result of those changes? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
(1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
(1) Could the minister inform the house of the reasons behind those changes? (2) Will any improved services be delivered as a result of those changes? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
(2) Will any improved services be delivered as a result of those changes? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
I thank the member for the question and acknowledge his strident advocacy on behalf of the people of Tom Price on this issue. (1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
(1)-(2) For the past four years a review has been conducted throughout the length and breadth of Western Australia, particularly in the country areas but also in the city, of the number of nurses that are required to appropriately deliver services at each of our hospitals. The review was conducted with the support of the Australian Nursing Federation to implement the nursing hours per patient day, a formula designed to ensure that nursing staff numbers are matched against patient care needs and hospital activity levels at all times. We were seeking to ensure that hospitals have the right number of nursing staff to safely meet the needs of patients at all times. It became apparent that some hospitals in the Pilbara had insufficient nurses to deliver the level of care according to the nursing hours per patient day formula. Nickol Bay Hospital at Karratha was one of those. Further south, Carnarvon Regional Hospital was also understaffed when it came to nurses. Part of the rationalisation of the number of nurses was to increase the number of nurses at those two sites and then look at the other hospitals where more nurses than were required by that formula were provided. Tom Price hospital was one of those. Over many years, inpatient activity at Tom Price hospital has reduced from a time back in the 1970s at the beginning of the major expansion of the iron ore industry when all 12 inpatient beds were continually used. Over time, with the introduction of new medical technologies, different treatment techniques and the transfer of more complex medical care to larger centres for specialised services, we have seen a significant reduction in the use of the hospital for inpatient services. Over the past four years, the average number of inpatient beds occupied on a daily basis has fallen from 3.1 beds to only two beds a day. I heard the Leader of the National Party interjecting earlier. I understand that on the day he visited Tom Price hospital there were not many patients there at all. Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr B.J. Grylls : You do not provide any services there. You put them all in Nickol Bay. Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I ask the member whether there were any patients there on the day he visited. Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr B.J. Grylls : Yes, there were. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, there were not. I have been briefed that there were not. When the member was shown around the hospital, there was a significant dearth of patients at the hospital. Accompanying that reduction in the number of beds being utilised, there has been no adjustment of staffing at the hospital. The roster provided for two registered general nurses to be on duty at all times regardless of whether there were any patients in the hospital. The introduction of the nursing hours per patient day model last month resulted in a change in the nursing staff level from 13.43 full-time equivalent nurses at the hospital to 9.75 FTEs. Under the new roster there will always be a registered nurse on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During weekdays and weekends there will be a second nurse rostered from 4.00 pm until 10.00 pm, the time when most people present to the emergency department at Tom Price hospital. There is a 24 hours a day medical on-call system in place, along with the back-up of an additional on-call nurse 24 hours a day. During weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm there will be a clinical nurse manager on duty, as well as an additional nurse rostered for duties such as staff education, infection control and quality improvement. If either one or both of these nurses are required for clinical duties, this is their priority above any other duties they may have. The reality of Tom Price hospital is that the real growth in demand for services is not in the inpatient care areas but rather in outpatient services such as mental health, population health and visiting medical specialist services. The challenge for the health service is to ensure that staff resources are allocated to the areas where they are most needed.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.