Children’s Lives Put At Risk

The Brumby Government needs to re-introduce lower target times for ambulances attending children with severe allergic reactions said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

“Children who suffer life-threatening allergic reactions are on the rise and it is imperative all child care centres, kindergartens and schools establish an anaphylaxis management plan.

“What is unclear at this stage is whether it is compulsory for every school and children’s service to have an anaphylactic plan and staff training, or only those where children who suffer such reactions attend.

“This could potentially emerge as a problem given that many children change school, kinder or child care centre during any given year.

“I welcome the Premier’s announcement yesterday addressing children suffering severe allergic reactions; however I am concerned that recent events of ambulance breakdowns and mechanical problems will put the lives of children at risk.

“The Premier needs to also address the issue of ambulance response times.

“For five years the state government has failed to meet the 13 minute Code 1 response time.

“While it is vital to have trained people and an anaphylaxis plan to ensure children with an allergy risk can receive urgent treatment, it is equally as important that an ambulance be called immediately as a ‘PRIORITY ZERO’.

“This is the most urgent call out to get a child to hospital as soon as possible.

“I call on the Brumby Government to re-introduce the 13 minute target for Code 1 to ensure children who have a life-threatening allergic reaction can be assessed as to the cardiac effect of the Epi-pen and receive further urgent treatment in hospital.

“Instead of adding more resources to the ambulance service, the state government disgracefully increased the time of the target and lowered the standard to 15 minutes.

“This is too long and unacceptable for people in urgent need, especially children suffering allergic reactions,” said Mrs Shardey.

AMA Refutes Brumby’s Claim Of “The Best Hospital System”

Premier Brumby’s claim Victoria runs one of the best hospital systems in Australia has been demolished by the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

The Public Hospital Report Card 2007 released by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) last week revealed that under the Brumby Labor Government, per capita funding of Victorian hospitals on a national basis has fallen to the lowest level ever.

In response to the report, Mr Brumby said, “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”. ABC News Online, Vic Premier defends hospital spending, Thursday 25 October 2007

But the AMA said:

“The bottom line is that Victorian public hospitals have the lowest per capita funding levels in the country. This means that our public hospitals are under real pressure every day.” AMA Media Release 25 October 2007

AMA Media Release 25 October 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”.

But the AMA said:

“We’re getting to a point where, if the Government wants more and more people to be treated, we don’t have any room for further efficiencies.” The Age, 31 May 2007

The Age, 31 May 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”.

But the AMA said:

Hospitals lacked the resources to cope with demand.

“(Patients) wait half an hour, one hour, two hours, and they walk out. What we need is a commitment from the Government to understand the fact we don’t have enough capacity in the system.” Herald Sun, 23 August 2007

Herald Sun, 23 August 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”.

But the AMA said:

State government benchmarks allow for 264,700 Victorians to receive clinically inappropriate care in Victorian public hospitals.

The Your Hospitals report reveals state benchmarks are well below clinically appropriate care for hospital waiting periods.

“Current government standards say it is perfectly reasonable for one in five people not to be seen within a clinically appropriate time,” he said. AMA Media Release 7 October 2007

he said. AMA Media Release 7 October 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria.”

But the AMA said:

The state government’s Your Hospitals report reveals 3,000 fewer elective surgery operations were performed in 2006/07 than the previous year. Non-urgent elective surgery in January to June 2007 dropped 15 per cent from the previous year.

“The government continues to cut elective surgery; is it because the Minister believes that some elective surgery does not matter?” AMA Media Release 11 October 2007 AMA Media Release 11 October 2007 “Premier Brumby has been dismissive of the crisis in our health system and his contradictory opinion to the AMA’s shows how out of touch he really is,” said Mrs Shardey.

“If you ask the 38,109 patients waiting in pain on the elective surgery lists and the thousands who wait hours each year in emergency departments for treatment – I think they would say Victoria has an inefficient system failing to cope with the increased pressure.”

Source: The State of Our Public Hospitals, 2004 Report and 2007 Report: State and Territory Government recurrent expenditure per person, weighted population.05

Victoria Lowest National Hospital Funding: Report Reveals

The Public Hospital Report Card 2007 released by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) today reveals per capita funding of Victorian hospitals on a national basis has fallen to the lowest ever level under the Brumby Labor Government, said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health. “In 1999-2000, the Victorian Government provided the fifth highest level of per capita funding to public hospitals – now the Brumby Government provides the lowest,” said Mrs Shardey.”Our hospital system has been deteriorating for years under the Brumby Government and is now at crisis point. Today’s report confirms despite the Brumby Government’s claims of

increasing total hospital funding, in fact the Victorian Government has done less than every other state or territory.”Victorian patients are being put at risk because John Brumby and the embattled health minister consistently refuse to take responsibility for our public hospitals. “The Brumby Government has failed to fund our hospital system adequately and has chosen the easier option of blaming everyone else for the crisis.

“Year after year they have been dismissive of nurses, doctors and ambulance paramedics who have spoken about the under-resourced and under-funded health care in Victoria. “John Brumby is more interested in avoiding responsibility than providing good health care – and Victorian patients are suffering as a result.

The AMA report also reveals Victorians have access to the fewest number of beds per capita of any state or territory and the entire public hospital system is running “dangerously close to 100 per cent capacity”. While Western Australia has increased per capita funding by more than 115 per cent and Tasmania has increased funding by 150 per cent, the Brumby Labor Government has increased funding by less than any other state or territory, at just 57 per cent.

“The Premier needs to stop boasting and bullying, and give our hospitals and nurses the resources they need and deserve,” said Mrs Shardey.

Source: The State of Our Public Hospitals, 2004 Report and 2007 Report: State and Territory Government recurrent expenditure per person, weighted population.0

Brumby’s Failure To Negotiate Caused Chaos In Hospitals

The Premier’s failure to negotiate with the Nurses Federation caused the dispute to drag on for nine days, causing increased suffering to thousands of Victorians waiting in pain, said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

“We are pleased an agreement has been reached, however Victorians have suffered through nine days of protracted confrontation because John Brumby stubbornly refused to negotiate earlier with the nurses,” said Mrs Shardey.

“This dispute should never have happened – the Brumby Government is entirely responsible for the hundreds of patients who had their surgery cancelled.

“The dismissive attitude by the Premier has contributed to the crisis in our health system.

“The Premier claims we have the most efficient hospital system – I think the 38,109 patients on the waiting list would disagree with him.

“Our hospitals are crippled by lack of state funding which has fallen to less than any other state or territory in the past five years.

“Bed shortages are the lowest per capita across Australia and the number of bureaucrats is only increasing.

“These factors are putting enormous pressure on our doctors and nurses trying to cope in a system which is absolutely in crisis.

“This week, Victorian hospitals were pushed beyond capacity, with several forced onto bypass and hundreds of patients left stranded and waiting hours in emergency rooms.

“The Premier should hang his head in shame for letting this latest crisis get this far.

“Our hard working nurses should not be intimidated by management and threatened with fines and pay docking.

“Patients deserve to feel neglected, frustrated and angry and responsibility for this crisis lies with the bullying Premier and his embattled junior health minister,” said Mrs Shardey.

Rural Ambulance — A Tragedy Waiting To Happen

A lack of staff has forced Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV) employees to work excessively long hours and abandon on-road duties to man an operations centre, which is putting the health of both patients and employees at risk, said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

Leaked Systems Improvement Process Notices show a system in crisis, with RAV management informed only 50 per cent of normal operating vehicles were available last Saturday night, placing undue stress on staff.

“Despite assurances from RAV’s CEO Jon Holloway that the Board and Senior Executive Team are fully committed to a healthy, safe and supportive workplace CEO Bulletin, Issue 5, 11 October 2007, staff feel their health is being compromised and concerns are being ignored,” said Helen Shardey.

“Last weekend Ballarat paramedics claimed staff shortages forced the ambulance service to turn away patients on Saturday night.

“We have been told of one staff member who has worked eight 14 hour shifts in a row and we believe this has happened on more than one occasion.

“Victorians living in the country deserve an ambulance service which is not plagued by internal issues.

“The Brumby Government has consistently failed to oversee this vital service.

“Currently there are 50 vacancies in RAV, the majority of these are for on-road ambulance paramedics.

“The embattled health minister has demonstrated a blatant lack of concern for the safety of RAV employees,” said Mrs Shardey.

Steve McGhie, Secretary of the Ambulance Employees Union, has said that Ballarat is so under-resourced that regional areas are being left unattended because paramedics are being taken off the road to man the Operations Centre.

“When will the health minister take responsibility for a substandard ambulance service which is failing to meet the needs of country Victorians?” said Mrs Shardey.