Questions & Answers Paper No. 158 - Parliament of New South ...

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LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2009
1 SEPTEMBER 2009
(Paper No. 147)
*7296 DISCHARGE OF PATIENTS—WAITING TIMES—Mr Richard Amery asked the Deputy Premier,
Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, and Minister for Commerce representing the Attorney
General, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Health, Minister for the Central Coast, Vice
President of the Executive Council—
(1) After a patient has been cleared by a doctor to be discharged from a public hospital in New South
Wales, do patients wait in a waiting area for their discharge papers to be processed?
(2) (a) Does the Department of Health set benchmark times as an acceptable waiting time for such
patients to be discharged, once given clearance by a doctor?
(b) If so, what are these benchmark times?
(3) Is a waiting time (for a patient's discharge papers to be processed) of five hours considered
acceptable by the Department of Health?
Answer—
I am advised:
(1) Various strategies exist to manage patients waiting for family, medications or discharge letters. These
range from waiting in the bed in their room, to a ward waiting room, to an organised discharge
lounge or unit where the discharge processes are coordinated and finalised.
(2) All Area Health Services have designated times the patients should be ready to leave on the day of
discharge. No measure of the length of time patients wait after the decision to discharge is currently
measured.
(3) Waiting times for the processing of patients' discharge papers varies depending on the circumstances
of each individual case. NSW Health is working with staff on improving communication with
patients and carers to explain to them what is happening with their care; to improve the existing
systems; and build new ones to assist in identifying and reducing delays.
*7297 PORTABLE OXYGEN—Mr Steve Cansdell asked the Deputy Premier, Minister for Climate Change and
the Environment, and Minister for Commerce representing the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial
Relations, Minister for Health, Minister for the Central Coast, Vice President of the Executive Council—
(1) Why is NSW the only state or territory that gives no assistance to the disabled for the acquisition of
portable oxygen?
(2) Would it not be practical to replace all home oxygen concentrators with portable concentrators?
(3) Can the Minister advise what the waiting list is for the supply of home oxygen equipment in the
Clarence electorate?
Answer—
(1) NSW does provide assistance with the provision of portable oxygen. The NSW Home Oxygen
Service (HOS) provides respiratory equipment, including oxygen concentrators and portable oxygen
to assist people to manage their respiratory condition at home.
(2) The current Home Oxygen Contract expires in 2010 at which time the efficacy of including portable
oxygen concentrators on the contract will be considered.
(3) There is currently no waiting time in the North Coast Area Health Service (which includes the
Clarence electorate) for people who meet the eligibility criteria for home oxygen therapy equipment.
*7298 MONITORING OF UNDERGROUND FUEL TANKS—Mr Steve Cansdell asked the Deputy Premier,
Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, and Minister for Commerce—
In regard to the introduction of legislation requiring all underground fuel tanks to be monitored:
(1) Is the Minister aware of the service costs for this monitoring and the added financial hardship this
will place on already struggling small businesses?
(2) Are there any subsidies or fee exemptions available for those small businesses facing financial
hardship because of the introduction of this monitoring service?
(3) Why is it necessary that the fuel tanks be monitored monthly instead of quarterly?
(4) Has the Government undertaken any business impact or cost analysis study on the impact this
regulation will have on small business?
Answer—
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