❓ Opposition questions the Health Minister regarding the transfer of the inflammatory bowel disease unit from Fremantle Hospital to Fiona Stanley Hospital, following the death of a patient. The Minister acknowledges concerns and outlines actions taken, admitting the new unit was initially not as good as the old one and that he has instructed the department to reinstate the clinic to its previous form.
AnsweredQoN 257Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIONA
STANLEY HOSPITAL — INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE UNIT — JARED
OLSEN
257. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the case of Jared Olsen, who was prescribed
medication at Fiona Stanley Hospital and subsequently passed away, and to the
incomplete transfer of the specialist inflammatory bowel disease unit from
Fremantle Hospital, despite the minister's assurances that the unit had
been transferred across fully.
(1) Did the
minister or any of his staff see the letter that was sent in November outlining
the many concerns about the transfer of this unit to Fiona Stanley Hospital?
(2) If the
minister or his staff did see this correspondence, what action was taken to
allay the concerns raised?
(3) Was the
minister otherwise made aware of the concerns about the inflammatory bowel
disease unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital prior to the death of Mr Olsen?
STANLEY HOSPITAL — INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE UNIT — JARED
OLSEN
257. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the case of Jared Olsen, who was prescribed
medication at Fiona Stanley Hospital and subsequently passed away, and to the
incomplete transfer of the specialist inflammatory bowel disease unit from
Fremantle Hospital, despite the minister's assurances that the unit had
been transferred across fully.
(1) Did the
minister or any of his staff see the letter that was sent in November outlining
the many concerns about the transfer of this unit to Fiona Stanley Hospital?
(2) If the
minister or his staff did see this correspondence, what action was taken to
allay the concerns raised?
(3) Was the
minister otherwise made aware of the concerns about the inflammatory bowel
disease unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital prior to the death of Mr Olsen?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
think the answer is, ''Yes, I was'', to just about every
component of the Leader of the Opposition's question. Yes, I was aware
that concerns were being raised about the transfer of the unit. The member for
Fremantle sent me at least two letters. What I did in response to those letters
was that I went to the Department of Health and insisted that the transfer be
to a system that was as good as the one that was operating at Fremantle
Hospital, and I was reassured of that, and I passed letters back to the member
and other people who raised those concerns, from the health department, that
that new unit would be every bit as good as the old one. In fact, I said so on
radio. I subsequently also said on radio, I think the very next day, that I had
been given further information since that time that had led me to the view that
that statement was not correct—that in fact it was not as good as it
had been.
Ms
S.F. McGurk : Everyone knew that.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Fremantle!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Can I reiterate the advice that I was given. The staffing
numbers that were going to be at the new site at Fiona Stanley were, and still
are, going to be higher than the staff numbers that were at Fremantle Hospital—hence
the reassurance that was given to me. However, in deciding on the transfers, it
had a policy that in order to constrain the total cost of the system, in which
we were downsizing two hospitals and moving them to a new hospital, to permanently
employ only staff who fitted certain criteria. I think that was the wrong
policy, because what happened as a result of that —
Ms
S.F. McGurk interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Give me a break!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Fremantle, I call you to order for the first time. If
you want to ask a further question, ask a further question.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The member for Fremantle could have asked the first question,
instead of just chirping from the back.
I formed the view that there were
staff there who collectively had 28 years of experience. Only one of those was
re-employed at 0.6 FTE and for a six-month period. Of those other staff, one is
now working at St John of God Hospital and another is working for a specialist
in that clinic—all that information was lost. The hospital was
committed to recruit people to fill those positions to do that work, and it has
been able to recruit one person with similar and suitable experience, but the
other position is, as yet, unfilled. They did not put the service back as it was
before. I have instructed them —
Ms
S.F. McGurk : It is a long answer.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : It is a long answer because it is a really important issue. I
have instructed the Department of Health to reinstate the inflammatory bowel
disease clinic in the form that it was—a discrete special clinic,
dealing specifically with inflammatory bowel disease, to make sure that we have
a service that operates as well as the old one operated.
think the answer is, ''Yes, I was'', to just about every
component of the Leader of the Opposition's question. Yes, I was aware
that concerns were being raised about the transfer of the unit. The member for
Fremantle sent me at least two letters. What I did in response to those letters
was that I went to the Department of Health and insisted that the transfer be
to a system that was as good as the one that was operating at Fremantle
Hospital, and I was reassured of that, and I passed letters back to the member
and other people who raised those concerns, from the health department, that
that new unit would be every bit as good as the old one. In fact, I said so on
radio. I subsequently also said on radio, I think the very next day, that I had
been given further information since that time that had led me to the view that
that statement was not correct—that in fact it was not as good as it
had been.
Ms
S.F. McGurk : Everyone knew that.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Fremantle!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Can I reiterate the advice that I was given. The staffing
numbers that were going to be at the new site at Fiona Stanley were, and still
are, going to be higher than the staff numbers that were at Fremantle Hospital—hence
the reassurance that was given to me. However, in deciding on the transfers, it
had a policy that in order to constrain the total cost of the system, in which
we were downsizing two hospitals and moving them to a new hospital, to permanently
employ only staff who fitted certain criteria. I think that was the wrong
policy, because what happened as a result of that —
Ms
S.F. McGurk interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Give me a break!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Fremantle, I call you to order for the first time. If
you want to ask a further question, ask a further question.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The member for Fremantle could have asked the first question,
instead of just chirping from the back.
I formed the view that there were
staff there who collectively had 28 years of experience. Only one of those was
re-employed at 0.6 FTE and for a six-month period. Of those other staff, one is
now working at St John of God Hospital and another is working for a specialist
in that clinic—all that information was lost. The hospital was
committed to recruit people to fill those positions to do that work, and it has
been able to recruit one person with similar and suitable experience, but the
other position is, as yet, unfilled. They did not put the service back as it was
before. I have instructed them —
Ms
S.F. McGurk : It is a long answer.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : It is a long answer because it is a really important issue. I
have instructed the Department of Health to reinstate the inflammatory bowel
disease clinic in the form that it was—a discrete special clinic,
dealing specifically with inflammatory bowel disease, to make sure that we have
a service that operates as well as the old one operated.
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