❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health's truthfulness regarding responding to doctors' concerns at Esperance Hospital. The Minister defends his actions, referencing past incidents and his process for handling complaints.
AnsweredQoN 89Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ESPERANCE HOSPITAL — STAFF COMPLAINTS
89. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
The question was very simple. Last
week, the minister said that he would respond to the individual concerns of
doctors who wrote to him. On this occasion he did not. Was the minister telling
the truth to Parliament when he made those claims?
89. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
The question was very simple. Last
week, the minister said that he would respond to the individual concerns of
doctors who wrote to him. On this occasion he did not. Was the minister telling
the truth to Parliament when he made those claims?
AnswerView source ↗
I do not understand. The member is
trying to tie it in with something that happened in 2014. We had that with this
bullying issue that we talked about with Fiona Stanley Hospital. He is grasping
at straws so much that he is trying to tie in a 2014 incident with doctors who
made a complaint. What I said about the doctors at Fiona Stanley Hospital was
that they should come and talk to me personally and discuss it. A whole bunch
of them had seen me before that. Senior clinicians had raised those same
concerns and sat around the table with me and discussed them. I have about 10 emails
with copies of all that correspondence on all those incidents. I was fairly
sure I saw some correspondence to Dr Howarth in there. It may have been —
Mr
R.H. Cook : Was it from you?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : No, it was from the regional health service that I discussed
with —
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : What happens when someone comes to me and gives me a sheet of
paper at a meeting, I take it to the regional health person and tell them that
I have a complaint and can they look into it. I get to see the letters that are
sent back. I have discussions with the staff about what was written.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : That is a totally adequate response, and, to be honest, I think
the behaviour and management of our staff in managing this situation was very
good given the circumstances involved.
trying to tie it in with something that happened in 2014. We had that with this
bullying issue that we talked about with Fiona Stanley Hospital. He is grasping
at straws so much that he is trying to tie in a 2014 incident with doctors who
made a complaint. What I said about the doctors at Fiona Stanley Hospital was
that they should come and talk to me personally and discuss it. A whole bunch
of them had seen me before that. Senior clinicians had raised those same
concerns and sat around the table with me and discussed them. I have about 10 emails
with copies of all that correspondence on all those incidents. I was fairly
sure I saw some correspondence to Dr Howarth in there. It may have been —
Mr
R.H. Cook : Was it from you?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : No, it was from the regional health service that I discussed
with —
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : What happens when someone comes to me and gives me a sheet of
paper at a meeting, I take it to the regional health person and tell them that
I have a complaint and can they look into it. I get to see the letters that are
sent back. I have discussions with the staff about what was written.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : That is a totally adequate response, and, to be honest, I think
the behaviour and management of our staff in managing this situation was very
good given the circumstances involved.
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