E&OE…
Topics: Jay Weatherill’s Royal Adelaide Hospital cover-up
LEON BYNER:
Exactly an hour ago, I broke a story on AA where I read you a letter written by the Honourable Greg Hunt, Minister for Health , that’s the federal minister, dated 15 March and it said ‘I’m writing to express significant concern of the apparent failure of your Government to release an essential report into the safety and accreditation of the Royal Adelaide Hospital’. Well, let’s talk to Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. Minister, good morning.
GREG HUNT:
Good morning Leon.
LEON BYNER:
Tell me, why was it compellingly necessary for you to release that the Government was hiding this report, given that we are, what, two days to an election?
GREG HUNT:
So, yesterday I received advice that between 19 and 23 February, so only a few weeks ago, what's called the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards did an accreditation survey of the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
That's what they should be doing. The problem though is that we haven't seen the report, but I've been advised that the hospital hasn't met seven of the core and seventeen of the other critical standards.
So, what does that mean? It means that there's 90 days to get these right and if not, then the hospital would lose its accreditation.
Now, this is fundamentally important, it's about the safety, it’s about the standards, it’s about the protection, and the State Government won't release it to the Federal Government, they won't release it to the public.
And this is absolutely critical information that should be in the public domain and having been notified of it, I have a duty to immediately approach the South Australian Government. Caretaker period, so I’ve written to both the Premier and the Opposition leader requesting that this material be released immediately.
LEON BYNER:
You're telling us, put a perspective on this seven and seventeen, just so people understand. What are we talking about here?
GREG HUNT:
So, these are in relation to safety procedures, safe discharge, risk abatement measures, medication management, so fundamental elements. Again, I have to stress we have not been provided with the report, it’s buried somewhere within the South Australian Government.
But we have been concerned that the report had been commissioned and completed and buried, and that says that at this point they are not meeting the standards required for accreditation.
There's then a 90-day period to comply, but I’m not aware of any other significant or major hospital in Australia which has had a report like that, and not aware of any other situation where a report has been buried at a critical time.
LEON BYNER:
So, we are talking here about a brand new hospital that costs us a million a day and you're telling us that it's not meeting the standards required to be running as the hospital?
GREG HUNT:
That's the advice I have. So this survey, again, so that your listeners know, it’s been done by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, and it's a team of doctors and nurses and health managers, done in late February.
Advice provided to us yesterday of what we are informed is the findings but we haven't got the document. And it's unusual, and it’s almost unprecedented that this is being withheld not only from the Federal Government, but most importantly from the public, and that's seven core standards and seventeen additional standards where the hospital is, I’m advised, falling short, including medication and safety procedures.
LEON BYNER:
How serious is this?
GREG HUNT:
I regard it as very serious in terms of public health and public safety. I’ll let the South Australian people determine what it says in terms of integrity, but we've recently had the Oakden scandal, and the advice I also have is that the hospital was already given 12 months extra to meet the standard.
So, this is virtually unprecedented, probably completely unprecedented, but I can't speak for every case, that it hasn’t been released not only to the Federal Government, but, much more importantly still to the public.
LEON BYNER:
Would you stay on the line please? I've got the state Health Minister Peter Malinauskas. Peter, we've just been told by the Federal Minister that there are significant core standards that are not being met in terms of safety.
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, good morning, Leon, and good morning to your listeners, and thanks for the opportunity to come on. I am extremely concerned here, Leon, at the egregious attempt by the Federal Health Minister to politicise this issue.
We have had no warning of this. The first that I became aware of this particular report was through media inquiries because Mr Hunt's office have decided to write to the Premier less than 48 hours before polls open for an election and alert the media to his correspondence without actually raising significant concerns.
Now, if Mr Hunt is sincere in his concern, then he would have contacted me as he has done on a number of occasions and I always make myself available to Mr Hunt. Instead he is quite clearly attempting to scaremonger and raise political concern about what I understand, and I’m seeking further advice, Leon, is something that is utterly routine.
LEON BYNER:
Routine?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, my understanding is that this accreditation process is routine. I'm seeking advice…
LEON BYNER:
The result that you got isn’t routine though, is it?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, I'm seeking advice on that. I think, Leon, you and your listeners should exercise a high degree of caution to the remarks that Mr Hunt is making in a blatant attempt to raise fear and concern.
Now, let’s be clear about something, Leon. From day one, when the Government announced its intention to build a brand new state-of-the-art hospital it was opposed by the Liberal Party.
LEON BYNER:
Peter, Peter, Peter, I don’t want a monologue. What I want is answers to some questions specifically raised by the Federal Minister. Did not your Government receive that report on the fifth of this month?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
I’m seeking advice as we speak, Leon. I’ve only been recently alerted to this through media channels. I’m happy to make information available as I receive it. My office has immediately started seeking reports from SA Health on this at the moment.
Naturally, you’ll appreciate, as Mr Hunt will appreciate, the Government is in caretaker mode, which limits my capacity to exercise the ordinary functions of the minister during that period, but nevertheless I am attempting to seek advice on this urgently.
But this goes to the whole point. I mean, if Mr Hunt was so concerned about this from a number of weeks ago, why didn’t he pick up the phone and call? Why is he leaving it to less than 48 hours before the election? Because he’s got a political objective.
LEON BYNER:
Are you concerned about the results?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, I want to know …
LEON BYNER:
Well, haven’t we all during the election, mate? It’s completely political. It’s foot and mouth season, Peter. Come on, mate, please answer the question. Are you concerned about these results?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, I want to know what they say first.
LEON BYNER:
You didn’t know?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
No, we don’t, Leon. This is the whole point.
LEON BYNER:
Just stay on the line, Peter, this is really important. Greg Hunt, you’re saying that the letter was sent to who on 5 March?
GREG HUNT:
So, the South Australian Government has it. We don’t have the report. I was briefed on this yesterday and responded, drafted overnight and reviewed this morning and sent, precisely because it’s caretaker mode, to both the Government and the Opposition in South Australia.
Peter is correct that this is a routine assessment, he’s incorrect that they’re routine findings. That’s the point. Two things have occurred. The findings are equally and fundamentally concerning and the failure to disclose is, as we say, unacceptable and almost completely unprecedented.
LEON BYNER:
So, Federal Minister Hunt, are you saying that SA Health got a report on the fifth and clearly from what the Minister is saying, the State Minister, they didn’t tell him what the report was?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I can’t speak for what’s happening inside the South Australian Government. The advice that I have is on 5 March 2018 their reviewers provided the Royal Adelaide Hospital with a written report detailing which standards were not met.
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Leon.
LEON BYNER:
Yes, Peter.
GREG HUNT:
If there’s a case of wilful blindness, we need to know that.
LEON BYNER:
Peter, so what are you going to do from this point?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well Leon, I haven’t received a copy of the report.
LEON BYNER:
Should you have?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, we’ve been in caretaker mode for a number of weeks …
LEON BYNER:
Should you have got it?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, what I’ve done, Leon, since Mr Hunt’s letter is seek urgent advice around the report. I’m expecting to receive that today, notwithstanding the fact there are caretaker conventions that need to be complied with.
What I will say from the outset is that every bit of advice that I’ve received since I’ve been Health Minister has been speaking to the extraordinary improvement that we’ve seen as a result of the RAH, and what Mr Hunt can’t get around is the fact that he has decided to write this letter less than 48 hours before an election without so much as the courtesy of a phone call.
He’s released this document to the media and it is nothing short of an egregious political act. Notwithstanding that …
LEON BYNER:
So, are the standards the issue here?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, absolutely, and I haven’t seen the report, so I’m not going to start commenting on …
LEON BYNER:
Should you have?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, that largely depends on its nature, and my understanding, from the very preliminary advice that I’ve received is this is an utterly routine report. Now, let’s wait and see what it says. I also want to make something clear to your listeners.
Mr Hunt has suggested that there’s somehow an act to sort of not disclose something. I am more than happy to make sure, if I’m lucky enough to be a minister post-election, to provide this report and make it fully public once it’s completed.
LEON BYNER:
Why don’t you do that before the election?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
Well, I’m happy to do it, Leon, when it’s completed and at the moment I understand it is an interim routine exercise that is operational.
But there is absolutely no attempt, on behalf of me or the Government, to conceal a report that we’re happy to make public because this is an outstanding institution delivering incredible results.
LEON BYNER:
If you’re happy to make it public, you’ve had since 5 March, but you haven’t.
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
It’s an interim report, Leon.
LEON BYNER:
Interim, is it?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
That’s my understanding, and my understanding is that normally associated with an interim report of this nature is the opportunity for, the standard process is there is a 90-day window to review that report and make sure that it’s accurate and the final report is then able to be released publicly.
I will gladly do that myself if I’m lucky to be the Health Minister in a couple of weeks time. What I’m a bit frustrated by, Leon, is what is nothing short of an egregious political act by a desperate Federal Government and an equally desperate Opposition to try and scare people about our hospital, which is delivering outstanding results and it’s not surprising considering they’ve tried to …
LEON BYNER:
Seven and 17 issues, Greg. Repeat again, please. Seven are what?
GREG HUNT:
Okay. So, you have seven core and 17 additional standards which, on the advice we’ve got, were found by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards to have not been met by the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
As I say, on 5 March the reviewers provided the hospital with their report, then there’s 90 days to comply. We’re not aware of any level of such findings in any other major hospital. So whilst it’s standard and routine that these reports are done, it’s not standard and routine that there are findings as dramatic as this, and not standard and routine that those findings are not disclosed.
I respectfully say to the South Australian Government, given that it’s caretaker mode, seek the agreement of the Opposition, and I would be astonished if they didn’t immediately agree to release this report within the next hour.
LEON BYNER:
Peter, what do you say to that?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
It’s an interim report. There is a 90-day opportunity to respond to it for a reason. What is unprecedented here are the actions of Mr Hunt. That is what is unprecedented.
LEON BYNER:
You know what the public care about?
PETER MALINAUSKAS:
I’ll tell you what they care about, Leon. They care about the safety and the patient care that is delivered in our quaternary hospital, and that’s what we’ve been aiming to deliver, is an outstanding service of patient care.
LEON BYNER:
Alright. Well, Peter, what you’re going to have to do is release that report before the election. It’s an interim report. Is it an interim report, Greg Hunt?
GREG HUNT:
Well, what we see is that the standard is that the first round of findings (inaudible) are both released publicly.
LEON BYNER:
Alright. Well, thank you. You make your mind up on this one.
(ENDS)