GALLAGHER’S STORY CHANGES DAILY ON DOWNGRADING PATIENTS
An ACT Health letter that came to light yesterday showed the practice of downgrading urgent Category 1 patients is in fact occurring in the ACT, despite the Minister claiming it was not ACT Health policy only the day before, said Shadow Minister for Health, Jeremy Hanson.
During Question Time on Tuesday, this exchange occurred;
MR HANSON: Minister, would you consider it appropriate or in accordance with policy that ACT Health would be contacting doctors to ask that they downgrade their patients?
MS GALLAGHER: It would not be in accordance with the policy…
However, a letter tabled in the Assembly only a day later states:
…If you accept this date, please re-categorise this patient as a 2a Staged Procedure and return by fax…” (ACT Health Letter to a doctor dated 13 October 2009)
“This letter confirms patients are being downgraded, not because their condition has improved, but because they cannot be operated on within 30 days. This practice has allowed Minister to boast that 95% of Urgent patients are operated on within the 30 days. This boast is utterly disingenuous and highlights the reality that Ms Gallagher can not be trusted with our elective surgery lists,” Jeremy Hanson said.
“When the letter emerged, the Minister suddenly changed her story and now claims that this practice is indeed policy and that she has no problems with it.
“That is not the view of the doctors that she is asking to change patients’ categories. Dr Hughes, President of the Visiting Medical Officers Association, is reported to have written to his members recommending that they ‘do not co-operate with this deceptive practice.’ (Canberra Times 24 June 2010)
“We recommend Katy Gallagher do the same,” said Mr Hanson.
24 June 2010
