Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Health services

Annabelle CLEELAND (Euroa) (14:20): My question is to the Minister for Health. Australian Medical Association president Dr Jill Tomlinson has raised a concern with the government about avoidable child deaths and harm in Victorian hospitals, but their repeated pleas for reform have been ignored. Why has the minister ignored the experts’ concerns and failed to act on their advice?

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:20): I thank the member for Euroa for her question, because it does give me the opportunity to put some facts on the record. But before I do can I just acknowledge that the loss of any child is tragic. I send my condolences to any family that has been impacted or has experienced harm in our public healthcare system.

With regard to the president of the AMA Dr Jill Tomlinson, she wrote to me late last year, and I responded to her on 6 January this year. She is in conversation at the moment with Safer Care Victoria regarding the suggestions that the AMA have.

I might take this opportunity just to talk through some of the processes that we have here to do everything that we can to ensure that we have the highest quality and safety in our health service system. We established Safer Care Victoria back in 2017, we have created Victoria’s first chief quality and safety officer, we have introduced the nation-leading statutory duty of candour and we are implementing the Safer Care for Kids reform, which that has been co-designed with families. We are also the only jurisdiction that reports an additional sentinel event category which captures all other adverse events that result in serious harm. In addition, all child deaths are reviewed by the independent Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity, and of course the coroner also examines all reportable deaths when someone dies unexpectedly during or following a medical procedure. So we are listening and we are consulting, and I am confident that the sentinel event review process is robust.

However, it is concerning to me that some clinicians and some hospitals are not reporting in a timely way, and that is why I have directed Safer Care Victoria and CCOPMM to provide me with urgent advice on how reporting obligations can be strengthened and to continue their consultation with the AMA.

Annabelle CLEELAND (Euroa) (14:22): Last year the minister said:

We’re making significant changes to the way our health services respond to patient deterioration because we know this has historically, and unacceptably, been a significant factor in paediatric sentinel events.

Minister, have any of these so-called significant changes been fully implemented?

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:23): Again I thank you for the question. Safer Care for Kids has been rolled out right across the state. We have implemented a standard observation chart called the ViCTOR charts to be used to monitor all paediatric patients across our system. We are working on and trialling an escalation process –

Members interjecting.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I am sorry? As I have said, the ViCTOR charts have been implemented across our health service system. We are working with the virtual emergency department to ensure that we have an escalation –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wendouree!

Member for Wendouree withdrew from chamber.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the question was whether the changes have been fully implemented. I ask you to ask the minister to respond to that very question.

The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant to the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I have been asked about Safer Care for Kids, and I am striving to inform the house of the work that is being done to implement Safer Care for Kids. As I said, an alternative escalation pathway for parents is being trialled – (Time expired)