Urgent need to establish joint house health committee

Pic: Rob Walls, http://robertwalls.wordpress.com/

URGENT NEED TO ESTABLISH JOINT HOUSE HEALTH COMMITTEE
Future of Mersey Hospital a Key Issue

Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Health Spokesperson
Tuesday, 9 October 2012

The Tasmanian Greens today urged the establishment of a Joint House Parliamentary Committee to be prioritised to investigate the long-term future of the state’s health system, in light of announced changes in services at the Mersey Hospital.

Greens Health spokesperson Paul O’Halloran MP said that the Greens initiative to establish the Committee had been passed by the Lower House and was amended in the Legislative Council last month, meaning the amended motion must now be re-debated in the House of Assembly.

“A long-term strategic and preventative approach to healthcare is essential if we are going to improve access to healthcare services in Tasmania while addressing the spiralling cost of delivery,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“This is why the Greens proposed a Joint House Select Committee to be established, which is half way there due to the Legislative Council debate, but now needs to be finalised and put into action as soon as possible.”

“We are urging that the amended motion be debated as priority when Parliament resumes next month.”

Mr O’Halloran said part of the Committee’s work could be to explore the case for Tasmania to become a pilot for an appropriate single funder health model.

“The Mersey is a federally funded hospital that’s administered by the State Government, which just illustrates the kind of duplication and inefficiencies that exist in the current system and which need to be addressed.”

“A single funder model would help address funding inequities and inefficiencies, remove duplication and reduce waste, all of which are hampering our ability to get health onto a sustainable footing.”

Mr O’Halloran also said services at the Mersey could also benefit from the Greens’ proposal for the addition of physician assistants to the medical workforce, and a boost to nurse practitioners.

“The apparent safety issues identified at the Mersey demonstrate exactly how physician assistants and nurse practitioners can help improve access to services.”

“Physician assistants would complement the existing health workforce and could help to reduce the costly reliance on locums to deliver medical services regional areas.”

“It is known that locums cost an approximate $10 million each year in the state’s north-west alone, which is disproportionate across the state as a whole.”

More information:

Greens proposal for single funder model trial in Tasmania: here

Physician assistants: a new concept in healthcare delivery: here

Nurse practitioners under-utilised in Tasmania: here

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• SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK

Senator for Tasmania
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science
M E D I A R E L E A S E

Mersey announcement raises questions about Federal-State funding deal

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck has questioned whether changes to service delivery at Mersey
Community Hospital are in breach of the funding agreement between the Australian and Tasmanian
governments.

The 2008 Heads of Agreement between the Federal and State Governments, struck in 2008 and reaffirmed
just last year, spells out that the State will deliver:

• General and specialist medical services (including paediatric care)

• Surgery and surgical specialities (other than planned complex surgery) that can safely be performed
at the hospital, including overnight planned and unplanned surgery and related post surgical care.

“Today there is an announcement that all after hours and weekend surgery will move from the Mersey to
the North‐West Regional Hospital in Burnie,” Senator Colbeck said.

“I have broad concerns about the integrity of this agreement and whether the Federal‐State arrangement is
delivering on the Gillard Government’s promise to the Mersey Region.

“I’ve spoken with the Auditor‐General about these concerns as part of that department’s audit of
expenditure under the funding agreement.

“I also will be meeting with local heath service management towards the end of this week and look
forward to their response to these questions.”