1. How many times has Catherine Elcoat visited Tasmania?
2. What were the dates of her visits?
3. How much did each visit cost?
The following reponse was provided by Tasmania’s chief nursing officer Fiona Stoker:
• Professor Dame Catherine Elcoat, Director of Patient Care at East Midlands Strategic Health Authority, visited Tasmania five times between 19 April 2008 and 13 March 2009.
• On those visits Prof Dame Catherine met with a wide range of stakeholders at Royal Hobart Hospital, Launceston General Hospital and the North West Regional Hospital as well as with senior health department executives and the ANF. Prof Dame Catherine also attended the AMA’s June 2008 executive meeting and spoke at two conferences. Dame Catherine spent a day with RHH staff at their request to enable them to demonstrate their case work.
• Dates of visits: 19-25 April 2008, 19-20 June 2008, 29 September to 3 October 2008, 26-28 November 2008 and 7-13 March 2009.
• The Department is unable to report on separate cost centres for international consultants.
• DHHS paid for Prof Dame Catherine’s airfares, accommodation and meals on her visits. No consultation fees were charged or paid.
• The Department’s links with Prof Dame Catherine are not unusual. Other Australian states invite academics and others, and develop strong networks with health professionals, from the US, UK, Canada, NZ and other countries.
These links and networks enable Tasmanian healthcare professionals to learn from international experience and where appropriate modify these experiences for the Tasmanian environment.
