PERTH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL —
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT — RESUSCITATION TEAM
565. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the minister's
confirmation in The West Australian yesterday that a dedicated
resuscitation team at Perth Children's Hospital's
emergency department has not been established despite it being a key commitment
following a review into Aishwarya Aswath's death.
(1) Why has this dedicated resuscitation team not been
prioritised as a matter of urgency?
(2) How many
senior nurses have been employed at Perth Children's Hospital in the
last 17 months since this incident, and why have not any of them been assigned
to the dedicated resuscitation team?
Ms A. SANDERSON replied:
(1)–(2) I want to step out this issue around ''designated''
versus ''dedicated'' and explain in plain English—certainly
to the member for Vasse—about
the difference and what the commitment was. The commitment was for a designated
resuscitation team. The reason that the government made that commitment was
because it was part of 10-point plan that the Australian Nursing Federation put
forward. Its words were that a supernumerary resuscitation team of four nurses
for the resuscitation team would also be available to assist floor staff with
category 2 patients and patients with behavioural problems. The ANF requested a
designated resuscitation team—a team of skilled nurses who are highly
skilled in resuscitation, who are not sitting idle in a room on the side
waiting for a resuscitation but whose skills are also used on the floor. So, it
was a minimum staffing requirement of that. That is exactly what we have
delivered—a designated resuscitation team. I have looked back on the
records and I cannot see anywhere a commitment that says ''dedicated''
resuscitation team. There has been some obfuscation and confusion thrown in
there; and I suspect that is probably the
opposition's doing, because that is what it does, particularly around
this issue. We have delivered what
was requested by the ANF—that is, a designated or a supernumerary
resuscitation team in the emergency department.