KARRATHA HEALTH CAMPUS
AND HEDLAND HEALTH CAMPUS
952. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I
refer to recent data presented in the media indicating that presentations to
the emergency department at Karratha Health Campus have broken
attendance records.
(1) Will the minister table the staffing levels of
doctors and nurses that are required to safely run Karratha Health
Campus and Port Hedland hospital?
(2) Will the
minister table the overtime shifts worked by doctors and nurses at each of the
campuses in the last six months?
(3) Have there
been any formal complaints from staff, both permanent and locum, regarding
workload in the last six months; and, if yes, how many?
(4) Does the WA
Country Health Service have a fatigue management policy for medical staff; and,
if yes, please table it?
(5) If no to (4),
does the minister accept that not having a policy is negligent and places both
medical practitioners and patients at unacceptable risk?
Hon
ALANNA CLOHESY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following information has been provided by the
Minister for Health.
(1) As at 4 September
2019, the total medical and nursing staffing levels at Karratha Health Campus
are 25 medical FTE and 75 nursing FTE, and at Hedland Health Campus are 35.5 medical
FTE and 113.5 nursing FTE.
(2) In respect to
this part, an answer cannot be submitted in the time frame available; however,
one will be provided to the member as soon as possible.
(3) Yes. Hedland
Health Campus has received four formal complaints regarding workload from
nursing staff. Karratha Health Campus has
not received any complaints from nursing or medical staff regarding workload.
(4) Fatigue
management for medical staff is as prescribed by the WA Health System Medical
Practitioners AMA Industrial Agreement 2016 under clause 15, ''Hours of
Duty''. The WA Country Health Service working in isolation policy
provides for the orientation of relevant staff, including processes for
reporting and managing fatigue.
(5) Not applicable.