❓ Mr. Grylls questions the Health Minister about the treatment of a Tom Price resident and the impact of staffing restructures on the Tom Price District Hospital. The Minister refutes the claims, stating no record exists of the patient and accuses the questioner of spreading misinformation.
AnsweredQoN 861Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOM PRICE DISTRICT HOSPITAL - JENNY RYLE
I refer to the appalling case of Tom Price resident Jenny Ryle who, while suffering from a badly bleeding internal abscess, was recently forced to make a four and a half hour emergency road trip to Port Hedland Regional Hospital for surgery. (1) How can a person in Jenny Ryle’s condition be allowed to travel 400 kilometres to Port Hedland propped up on the back seat of the family car? (2) Why was she then forced to wait for two hours at Port Hedland hospital before finally being admitted for surgery that night? (3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY
I refer to the appalling case of Tom Price resident Jenny Ryle who, while suffering from a badly bleeding internal abscess, was recently forced to make a four and a half hour emergency road trip to Port Hedland Regional Hospital for surgery. (1) How can a person in Jenny Ryle’s condition be allowed to travel 400 kilometres to Port Hedland propped up on the back seat of the family car? (2) Why was she then forced to wait for two hours at Port Hedland hospital before finally being admitted for surgery that night? (3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(1) How can a person in Jenny Ryle’s condition be allowed to travel 400 kilometres to Port Hedland propped up on the back seat of the family car? (2) Why was she then forced to wait for two hours at Port Hedland hospital before finally being admitted for surgery that night? (3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(2) Why was she then forced to wait for two hours at Port Hedland hospital before finally being admitted for surgery that night? (3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(1) How can a person in Jenny Ryle’s condition be allowed to travel 400 kilometres to Port Hedland propped up on the back seat of the family car? (2) Why was she then forced to wait for two hours at Port Hedland hospital before finally being admitted for surgery that night? (3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(2) Why was she then forced to wait for two hours at Port Hedland hospital before finally being admitted for surgery that night? (3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(3) Does the minister concede that the government’s staffing restructure at Tom Price District Hospital means that sick and injured people will increasingly be forced to go to Port Hedland or Perth for medical treatment? (4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(4) When will he restore full services to Tom Price hospital so that people can have a broken arm fixed locally, such as in the case of Joe Cullinan, whom I spoke about a couple of weeks ago; undergo minor surgery locally; and have a baby in the town? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
(1)-(4) I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of this question because it has enabled me to ascertain that nobody by the name of Jenny Ryle has ever presented to Tom Price District Hospital or Port Hedland Regional Hospital for any treatment. Perhaps she has an alias, but certainly nobody fitting that description or with that name has presented at either hospital. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : He does not, does he? It cannot land there; it needs to go to Paraburdoo, as the member knows. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : If surgery is required, or if there is a serious illness, the patient would be evacuated to either Port Hedland or Perth via the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : I will say this about the Tom Price hospital action group - this needs to be said publicly and I have refrained from saying it publicly until now: sometimes people can cry wolf and spread misinformation too often. I think the Leader of the National Party has been used by this group in a way that has not been at all helpful. I will give him a simple example of what I mean by this. Last Thursday, 16 November, the regular orthodontist visited the town to provide his services. A list of bookings and appointments had been made. However, prior to his arrival, the Tom Price hospital action group had, as part of its misinformation campaign, spread the word that orthodontic services had been cut and would no longer be provided in the town. That meant that 12 people who had appointments with the orthodontist did not turn up for their appointments because of misinformation that was spread by the group that is now putting the Leader of the National Party up to this proposition. That is shameful. There were 12 people who needed specialist treatment and who were not given that specialist treatment because of the misinformation. The orthodontist, when he came to town, was waiting for those people to turn up, but because the Tom Price hospital action group had spread that information the people thought it was true and did not bother to turn up for their appointments. The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
The Leader of the National Party will remember being personally misled by this group at the end of July, I think it was, when he put out a press statement to the media to the effect that the eight-bed Tom Price hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post. Of course, it is not true, and I think the member now knows that that is the case. It is certainly not a nursing post. Tom Price has had eight hospital beds for many years. There has been no change in the number of beds available at Tom Price hospital. The one thing that has changed there is the utilisation of those beds. Eight beds are maintained and available for the people of Tom Price. Currently the average occupancy per day is just over two. They are the facts. The Leader of the National Party has also referred publicly to the nursing roster. Exactly the same nursing roster is being implemented in Tom Price that applies at every other hospital in country Western Australia - the nursing hours per day patient formula; exactly the same formula that sustains every other hospital in the state - but at the instigation of this group the Leader of the National Party has been spreading rumours that somehow or other nursing staff are no longer able to cope. The roster has been implemented for many months now and people had better get used to it because it is the same formula that is applied at every other hospital in the state. People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
People strain credibility when they cry wolf too often, and frankly that is what has happened. There has been no reduction in any way, shape or form in any service that was available at Tom Price hospital. It is still available today. The Leader of the National Party should not put around misinformation that services that were once available are no longer available and that the place has been downgraded. It simply has not. Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr B.J. Grylls : You are wrong. Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : No, I am sorry. The Leader of the National Party was the one who said the eight-bed hospital had been downgraded to a nursing post and I think he should correct that on the public record because he knows it is not true. He might like to advise the members of the action group that they ought to correct the information because when we fly specialists into the town, in this case a specialist orthodontist, I do not appreciate false rumours going around the town which mean that 12 people do not get fair treatment when they should because people are spreading misinformation. Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
Tom Price has undergone a population expansion in recent times as a result of the booming economy and the booming minerals market. The hospital has been fully serviced and maintained and continues to provide all the services it has provided historically. I am interested in looking at what more we should be doing for the town. When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
When I met the people from the Tom Price hospital action group a month or two ago, I relayed to them my interest in looking at the community-based services and population health services that were currently short in Tom Price, and should be provided in addition to fully maintaining all hospital-based services. I said to them that I wanted to look to increase the services available in Tom Price relating to alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. We do not need the scaremongering that the Leader of the National Party has engaged in.
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