The Hodgman Liberal Government strongly supports the local management of the Royal Hobart Hospital, and we will always listen to the ideas and solutions put forward for discussion – especially from clinicians.
While Labor continues to be focused on rubbishing the RHH, the Government is working to reduce demand pressures.
Rebecca White has gone too far this time – ridiculing our hardworking clinicians. To call ideas from clinicians “downright dangerous” is incredibly offensive, and also hypocritical. Just days ago Ms White said “the Government should be looking at what other spaces are available that can be utilised so we can support patients to access the care they need”.*
We have empowered staff at the RHH by introducing local oversight and we want our frontline staff to feel confident to put forward ideas using their expert knowledge, yet all Labor can do is ridicule them and put them down when they do so.
These draft protocols are all about ensuring beds can be made available sooner for patients who are sick and that should be welcomed not ridiculed.
The facts are:
Importantly, key stakeholders such as the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and the Australian Medical Association have provided their in-principle support and will work constructively through the consultation process, and we will do the same.
Labor’s attempt at another Mediscare campaign is utterly shameful and it is high time they stopped playing politics with health at the expense of our hardworking frontline staff.
*ABC News 17 Sept.