PERTH CHILDREN'S
HOSPITAL — AISHWARYA ASWATH — PREMIER'S COMMENTS
549. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Given there has been a significant increase in staffing levels since that
incident, why were warnings about staffing levels not acted upon before her
death?
Mr M. McGOWAN
replied:
There were some changes following an
extensive review after the event. An uplift was provided on the basis of
available benchmarking data. I will repeat to the member, and I said this at
the time, that the set roster was adhered to except that, for the first hour,
there were three doctors more than the roster. The total number of patients at
the time that Aishwarya arrived was 41. At that point in time, there were 19
doctors and 15 nurses. At the time that she was moved into the resuscitation
area, there were 35 patients. That was the roster. We let the health
department, the doctors and all the people
who run the hospitals—all the professionals—run the hospitals.
That was the roster that was set by them. In effect, there were 34
doctors or nurses for 41 patients at the time that Aishwarya arrived. That was
the situation in the emergency department at the hospital. I said this at the
time. I told the member this last year, at the time, and the facts have not
changed.