The ACT Government has released a discussion paper on five options for enhancing hospital services in Canberra. Each option would deliver an extra 400 beds and range in cost from about $690m to $795 million. We are pleased to see that the HCCA proposal to include a sub-acute facility has been costed and included as an option (Option E). Another option (B) is to consolidate services in a 'super hospital' at Woden but the Minister went on the record in early February saying that this is an unlikely option.
The discussion paper is a good start to the conversation and we encourage people to read the paper. This is available in the Community Consultation section of the ACT Health website.
HCCA is interested to find out more about the type of beds that are being proposed. We spoke with the ABC this week about this. A story is available on the ABC website.
A six week consultation period will run from 25 February 2011 – 14 April 2011. Community consultation fora will be announced soon.
This has been a long running issue. The ACT Legislative Assembly referred to the Standing Committee on Health, Community and Social Services for inquiry and report the proposed four new options for future ownership and management arrangements of Calvary Public Hospital, put forward by the Minister for Health on 19 August 2010. HCCA appeared before the Committee and made a submission (350 kb Pdf). The Standing Committee will report to the the Legislative Assembly at the end of March.
HCCA is currently considering the discussion paper and will prepare a comprehensive response. We are interested to hear your views.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A wish list for Canberra's Integrated Cancer Centre
This post has been adapted from a piece that Val Lee and Denis Strangman wrote together in November 2010. At the time they served as HCCA cancer consumer representatives on official ACT advisory committees associated with the planning for the new Centre.
The architects are about to get their heads down and come up with plans for a new cancer centre to serve the ACT and surrounding regions. Some preliminary sketches have been drawn up and planning meetings have been held. It is very important that the Centre "gets it right" from the start and develops as a truly patient-centred facility.
The proposed location will be between the current radiation oncology area at Canberra Hospital, the emerging under-cover parking station, and behind the existing Psychiatric Services Unit, which will eventually have its own new building.
In an endeavour to identify the wishes of the Canberra community, particularly those who have used the cancer services recently and may do so in the future (which could include one in three of the population who might be affected by cancer), the Health Care Consumers Association of the ACT held a public meeting on 29 November.
At this early stage of the design we have a basic wish list in mind.
First – the centre must be patient friendly and be designed around the convenience of the patient, particularly those who are visiting it in an unwell situation.
Second - it must be a pleasant environment, for the benefit of the patients and the staff. Canberra has an inherent difficulty in attracting skilled medical and radiation oncology staff, so the working environment needs to be a whole lot better than other cancer centres that are competing with us. We can’t bribe the weather bureau to falsify Canberra’s winter temperatures so we have to counter the pull of the sun and the surf by superior and generous working conditions.
Third – patients should not be asked to walk long distances to get from where they register to where they are treated. We understand that one key objective is to make it an “integrated” centre but it has to work around a fixed given and that is the bunkers where the Linac radiation therapy machines are located in their protected shells. These are fixed and cannot be moved.
Fourth – the patient information area must be close to where most patients and their carers will come for their consultations. The opportunity could be taken to integrate the patient education function with this facility so that there is a combined access to the disease-specific technical information and the relaxation and meditation resources which many patients specifically seek.
Fifth – patients must be capable of easily meeting with allied health staff and the cancer care co-ordinators. This is an expanding area within cancer services and the objective should be that eventually all cancer patients will be allocated to a care co-ordinator who can be a point of contact as they travel the cancer journey. At the present time some of those with the more intransigent cancers, such as brain tumours, are lacking access to care coordinators covering their cancer. Social workers should not be hidden away in some broom cupboard out of sight but should be easily reachable by patients. That area of assistance needs to be better resourced.
Sixth – the opportunity needs to be taken to reap the advantages of the E-health revolution. Because of our low population base the oncologists in Canberra need to be “generalists” and they do a fine job but much of the expertise of their more experienced colleagues is found interstate. Telemedicine facilities need to be an integral part of the design so that the Canberra staff can act as agents of disease-specific specialists located elsewhere, even on occasion in another country. Patients and their carers should be able to participate in these consultations.
Seventh – “quiet spaces” need to be built into the design where a patient and their carer can retire to and reflect on any challenging information which might have been given to them in a consultation. On occasion they might want a social worker, care coordinator, or pastoral care worker to be easily available.
Eighth – a small café should be integrated into the design, which is easily accessible by patients and their carers either from the chemotherapy or radiation oncology treatment areas. Some kind of call system spanning waiting rooms, the proposed cafe and the patient information area should be developed so that patients do not feel trapped into remaining fixed in a waiting room fearful that they will miss their “call”. These are mostly ambulatory out-patients. Perhaps they could be issued with location tags which tell the staff the general area where they are waiting.
Ninth – particular care needs to be taken for those patients whose immune system is compromised because of procedures they are undergoing, which might involve specific forms of access and isolation.
Tenth – because pathology results are an integral part of the cancer process and often determine a patient’s ability to receive chemotherapy, blood samples should be taken within the Centre, if at all possible.
The project managers and the architects for the new cancer centre are working to a tight schedule but the last thing anyone wants is a $28 million centre which looks new but has inherent design flaws which add unnecessary stress to the patient and their carers. The diagnosis of cancer and its treatment can be very stressful. Let’s do what we can to reduce stress levels for these people.
Sadly Val Lee died in January 2011. Val was a breast cancer survivor who provided peer support through Bosom Buddies for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Val certainly left her mark in the consumer movement and was a source of great comfort to many women when they needed a shoulder.
Denis is a former caregiver and provides peer support to newly diagnosed brain tumour patients and their carers by answering the national Freecall number provided by Brain Tumour Alliance Australia Inc. He continues to advocate for consumer and carer interest in the development of the Cancer Centre.
The architects are about to get their heads down and come up with plans for a new cancer centre to serve the ACT and surrounding regions. Some preliminary sketches have been drawn up and planning meetings have been held. It is very important that the Centre "gets it right" from the start and develops as a truly patient-centred facility.
The proposed location will be between the current radiation oncology area at Canberra Hospital, the emerging under-cover parking station, and behind the existing Psychiatric Services Unit, which will eventually have its own new building.
In an endeavour to identify the wishes of the Canberra community, particularly those who have used the cancer services recently and may do so in the future (which could include one in three of the population who might be affected by cancer), the Health Care Consumers Association of the ACT held a public meeting on 29 November.
At this early stage of the design we have a basic wish list in mind.
First – the centre must be patient friendly and be designed around the convenience of the patient, particularly those who are visiting it in an unwell situation.
Second - it must be a pleasant environment, for the benefit of the patients and the staff. Canberra has an inherent difficulty in attracting skilled medical and radiation oncology staff, so the working environment needs to be a whole lot better than other cancer centres that are competing with us. We can’t bribe the weather bureau to falsify Canberra’s winter temperatures so we have to counter the pull of the sun and the surf by superior and generous working conditions.
Third – patients should not be asked to walk long distances to get from where they register to where they are treated. We understand that one key objective is to make it an “integrated” centre but it has to work around a fixed given and that is the bunkers where the Linac radiation therapy machines are located in their protected shells. These are fixed and cannot be moved.
Fourth – the patient information area must be close to where most patients and their carers will come for their consultations. The opportunity could be taken to integrate the patient education function with this facility so that there is a combined access to the disease-specific technical information and the relaxation and meditation resources which many patients specifically seek.
Fifth – patients must be capable of easily meeting with allied health staff and the cancer care co-ordinators. This is an expanding area within cancer services and the objective should be that eventually all cancer patients will be allocated to a care co-ordinator who can be a point of contact as they travel the cancer journey. At the present time some of those with the more intransigent cancers, such as brain tumours, are lacking access to care coordinators covering their cancer. Social workers should not be hidden away in some broom cupboard out of sight but should be easily reachable by patients. That area of assistance needs to be better resourced.
Sixth – the opportunity needs to be taken to reap the advantages of the E-health revolution. Because of our low population base the oncologists in Canberra need to be “generalists” and they do a fine job but much of the expertise of their more experienced colleagues is found interstate. Telemedicine facilities need to be an integral part of the design so that the Canberra staff can act as agents of disease-specific specialists located elsewhere, even on occasion in another country. Patients and their carers should be able to participate in these consultations.
Seventh – “quiet spaces” need to be built into the design where a patient and their carer can retire to and reflect on any challenging information which might have been given to them in a consultation. On occasion they might want a social worker, care coordinator, or pastoral care worker to be easily available.
Eighth – a small café should be integrated into the design, which is easily accessible by patients and their carers either from the chemotherapy or radiation oncology treatment areas. Some kind of call system spanning waiting rooms, the proposed cafe and the patient information area should be developed so that patients do not feel trapped into remaining fixed in a waiting room fearful that they will miss their “call”. These are mostly ambulatory out-patients. Perhaps they could be issued with location tags which tell the staff the general area where they are waiting.
Ninth – particular care needs to be taken for those patients whose immune system is compromised because of procedures they are undergoing, which might involve specific forms of access and isolation.
Tenth – because pathology results are an integral part of the cancer process and often determine a patient’s ability to receive chemotherapy, blood samples should be taken within the Centre, if at all possible.
The project managers and the architects for the new cancer centre are working to a tight schedule but the last thing anyone wants is a $28 million centre which looks new but has inherent design flaws which add unnecessary stress to the patient and their carers. The diagnosis of cancer and its treatment can be very stressful. Let’s do what we can to reduce stress levels for these people.
Sadly Val Lee died in January 2011. Val was a breast cancer survivor who provided peer support through Bosom Buddies for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Val certainly left her mark in the consumer movement and was a source of great comfort to many women when they needed a shoulder.
Denis is a former caregiver and provides peer support to newly diagnosed brain tumour patients and their carers by answering the national Freecall number provided by Brain Tumour Alliance Australia Inc. He continues to advocate for consumer and carer interest in the development of the Cancer Centre.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Job Vacancy - Administration Officer
If you are an experienced administration officer, looking for a varied role in a small, enthusiastic and motivated team, we would like to hear from you.
The Health Care Consumers’ Association (HCCA) is seeking an Administration Officer with excellent administrative and organisational skills. The successful candidate will have experience in managing an executive diary and be able to effectively prioritise competing workloads. The role involves daily contact with internal and external stakeholders. Written and oral communication skills and attention to detail are essential. Knowledge of Microsoft Office is required. Other tasks include setting up meetings, organising functions, compiling and sending out newsletters, website editing (training will be provided) and a variety of other tasks as required.
Hours and days negotiable up to 30 hours per week. This is a 12 month contract with possibility of extension. Other conditions of employment will be based on the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010.
HCCA promotes a healthy work/life balance and is committed to offering employees a supportive family friendly working environment.
The selection documentation is available online at http://www.hcca.org.au/cms/media/selectiondocumentation.pdfApplications, addressing the selection criteria, close on Monday 28 February 2011 and be addressed to:
Executive Director, HCCA
100 Maitland St
Hackett ACT 2602
The Health Care Consumers’ Association (HCCA) is seeking an Administration Officer with excellent administrative and organisational skills. The successful candidate will have experience in managing an executive diary and be able to effectively prioritise competing workloads. The role involves daily contact with internal and external stakeholders. Written and oral communication skills and attention to detail are essential. Knowledge of Microsoft Office is required. Other tasks include setting up meetings, organising functions, compiling and sending out newsletters, website editing (training will be provided) and a variety of other tasks as required.
Hours and days negotiable up to 30 hours per week. This is a 12 month contract with possibility of extension. Other conditions of employment will be based on the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010.
HCCA promotes a healthy work/life balance and is committed to offering employees a supportive family friendly working environment.
The selection documentation is available online at http://www.hcca.org.au/cms/media/selectiondocumentation.pdfApplications, addressing the selection criteria, close on Monday 28 February 2011 and be addressed to:
Executive Director, HCCA
100 Maitland St
Hackett ACT 2602
Monday, February 7, 2011
ACT Auditor-General’s Report into Waiting Lists for Elective Surgery and Medical Treatment
On 17 January, the ACT Auditor-General submitted the Performance Audit Report titled ‘Waiting Lists for Elective Surgery and Medical Treatment’ to the Legislative Assembly.
Russell McGowan was interviewed by ABC News on the recommendations included in the recently released report on waiting lists by the ACT Auditor General. This news story is available online.
Russell McGowan was interviewed by ABC News on the recommendations included in the recently released report on waiting lists by the ACT Auditor General. This news story is available online.
Australian Hospital Statistics for 2008-09 showed that elective surgery waiting times had worsened in the ACT. Allegations had been made about possible manipulation or mismanagement of the elective surgery waiting list and that some patients had been downgraded to lower categories.
The objective of the audit was to provide an independent opinion to the Legislative Assembly on whether:
- information on waiting lists published by ACT Health was complete, reliable and timely;
- ACT Health effectively managed the elective surgery policy and related systems and procedures to promote clinically appropriate, consistent and equitable treatment of patients in public hospitals; and
- access to medical services (non-surgical) was effectively managed and timely.
The Report found waiting lists had not improved despite extra funding from the Federal and ACT governments. The Performance of ACT Health in the management of elective surgery waiting lists in the recent years was below other jurisdictions, and no improvement had been recorded for most key performance indicators over time.
The Audit acknowledged that management of the waiting lists for elective surgery and medical treatments was a complex process that could be influenced by practices of various parties within the system, including doctors, and by a number of factors, some of which were outside the control of ACT Health.
It also noted that Canberra’s public hospitals provide emergency and elective surgery to ACT residents and those in surrounding areas. As most emergency surgery was conducted at TCH, the pressure of delivering emergency surgery also impacted on the delivery of elective surgery.
The Audit found that, overall, elective surgery waiting lists were administered in the ACT within a sound framework of policies, guidelines and procedures. However, ACT Health’s implementation and monitoring processes were not managed well to deliver the intended outcomes.
From consumer perspective, the findings of the report are obviously concerning and disappointing. Obviously, it is unacceptable that some patients have not been added to waiting lists for months because of a communication failure between clinical staff and the hospital booking office, as indicated in the report.
HCCA has long advocated for a single patient administration system across The Canberra Hospital and Calvary, integrating the two hospitals’ databases to better manage waiting lists across the ACT. We welcome the fact that ACT Health is working on this and keenly await its implementation in October next year.
The Audit’s findings are timely. The ACT Health Elective Surgery Access Policy, referred to in the audit, is currently under development. HCCA recently commented on the draft policy and this Audit gives ACT Health the opportunity to further improve its policy for the benefit of consumers as well as clinical staff. The Audit is relevant for inclusion in the ACT Health Patient & Family Centred Care Discussion Paper 2011, which is also under development.
The ACT Government’s response has been positive: it has accepted the majority of all 11 recommendations and HCCA will be closely monitoring its progress in implementing them.
A full copy of the Performance Audit Report Waiting Lists for Elective Surgery and Medical Treatment, is available online (1.18Mb, 95 page document).
Karen Jameson
Policy Officer
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Integrated Cancer Centre Consultation
What do you want from the new ACT Integrated Cancer Centre?
Do you have ideas on how the cancer centre can work well for patients?
What sort of space would be comfortable for patients, carers, families and support groups?
Architects are coming up with plans for the new cancer centre to serve the ACT and surrounding regions and consumers are invited to have their input at this design stage.
It is very important we help the Cancer Centre “get it right” from the start and ensure it develops as a truly patient-centered facility.
Come to a meeting to have your views taken into account!
When: Monday, 29 November 2010
12:30pm-2:30pm
Where: HCCA Office
100 Maitland Street
Hackett ACT 2602
RSVP:02 6230 7800
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