❓ A WA parliamentary question probes the needle-exchange policy in public hospitals, particularly regarding adherence to the 'needle-for-needle' exchange and nurses' ethical concerns. The Minister denies policy breaches and emphasises public health priorities.
AnsweredQoN 256Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the policy of needle-exchange which takes place at all public hospitals, including those in country areas, and ask - (a) is it correct that the policy requires nursing and/or hospital staff to hand out a clean needle to drug users, but only in exchange for used needles; (b) is the minister aware that in some hospitals nurses are now expected, in direct contravention of the stated policy, to hand out clean needles, without used needles being handed in; (c) will the minister institute inquiries on the extent to which the needle-exchange process is being circumvented and take action to return to adherence of the stated policy; (d) if not, why not; (e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
6 September 2000
Response time
28 days
(a) No. (b) Not applicable. (c) Not applicable. (d) Not applicable. (e) Yes. (f) Nursing staff may be called upon to undertake some duties in their work that challenges their personal beliefs. In the interests of public health, access to sterile needles and syringes is crucial to preventing the transmission of blood borne viruses, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Minimising the risk of transmission of blood borne viruses is a corporate priority of HDWA, and employees are required to participate in delivering services which contribute to this objective.
(b) is the minister aware that in some hospitals nurses are now expected, in direct contravention of the stated policy, to hand out clean needles, without used needles being handed in; (c) will the minister institute inquiries on the extent to which the needle-exchange process is being circumvented and take action to return to adherence of the stated policy; (d) if not, why not; (e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(c) will the minister institute inquiries on the extent to which the needle-exchange process is being circumvented and take action to return to adherence of the stated policy; (d) if not, why not; (e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(d) if not, why not; (e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(b) is the minister aware that in some hospitals nurses are now expected, in direct contravention of the stated policy, to hand out clean needles, without used needles being handed in; (c) will the minister institute inquiries on the extent to which the needle-exchange process is being circumvented and take action to return to adherence of the stated policy; (d) if not, why not; (e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(c) will the minister institute inquiries on the extent to which the needle-exchange process is being circumvented and take action to return to adherence of the stated policy; (d) if not, why not; (e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(d) if not, why not; (e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(e) is the minister also aware of the philosophical objection many nurses have towards handing out free needles to drug addicts; and (f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
(f) if so, what options are available for nurses placed in this unfair predicament?
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.