Department of Health Library Services ePublications - Historical Collection
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Northern Territory Department of Health Library Services Historical Collection
ALICE SPRINGS HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT BOARD
ANNUAL REPORT 1988/89
HISTORICAL COLLECTION .
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ALICE SPRINGS HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT BOARD
All correspondence to;
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Alice Springs Hospital Managerrent Board P.O. Box 2234
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In reply quote
25th September 1989
The Honourable Steve Hatton, MLA
Minister for Health and Community Services G.P.O. Box 3146
DARWIN N.T. 0801
My dear Minister
I am pleased to forward the Alice Springs Hospital Management Board's Annual Report for 1988/89 as required.
Yours sincerely,
(MRS) MAY SHOTTON Chairman
CENTRAL LIBRARY 2 3 OCT 1998
TERRITORY HEALTH SERVICES
ALICE SPRINGS HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT BOARD REPORT FOR YEAR ENDING 30 JUNE 1989
In accordance with Section 25(1) of the Hospital Management Boards Act, I submit the Board's Annual Report on its and the hospital's activities for the financial year ended 30 June, 1989.
Composition of the Board as at 30 June 1989 Mrs. May Shotton
Dr. A. J. Matarazzo Mrs. Penny Greene Mrs. Margaret Wait Mr. Peter Cardiff
Mr. M.S. Tyrrell or delegate Dr. P.S. Bradford or delegate Mrs. L.M. Stevens or delegate
Chairman
Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Regional Director Medical Superintendent Director of Nursing The Hospital Secretary, Mr. C. Burrows, or delegate acts as Secretary to the Board.
New Appointments and Resignations
Mrs. Brenda MacDonald resigned from the Board as from 30 November 1988.
Mr. Peter Cardiff was appointed to the Board in February 1989.
Attendance at Board Meetings
There were 12 monthly meetings and attendance was as follows:
Mrs. B. MacDonald Mrs. M. Shotton Mrs. P. Greene Dr. A. J. Matarazzo Mrs. M. Wait
Mr. P. Cardiff Regional Director Medical Superintendent Director of Nursing Election of Chairman
Attended 5 11 12 10
8 3 10 11 12
Eligible to attend 5
12 12 12 12 5 12 12 12
Mrs. May Shotton was elected as Chairman in October 1988, following Mrs. Brenda MacDonald's relinquishing that office prior to her resignation from the Board taking effect on 30 November.
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Hospital Auxiliary
Mrs. Greene attempted to form an Alice Springs Hospital Auxiliary. This was of particular importance given the hospital's desire to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the provision of medical services to the people of Central Australia.
The failure of people to come foward in sufficient numbers to enable an Auxiliary to be formed appears to be related to the transience of the Alice Springs population and the reluctance of members of the public to commit themselves to such a group.
Hospital Activity Statistics
Number of authorised beds Number of admissions
Average bed occupancy per day (share of authorised beds)
General Hospital - 82% occupancy Mental Health Services (Ward 1) Rural Health Services (C.H.U.)
TOTAL
Average length of stay Number of live births Number of Operations
Number of Outpatient medical consultations
88/89 180 8374
129.4 7.3 5.8 142.5 6.1 826 2509 47939 (includes accident/emergency and specialist) Combined Quality Assurance Committee
(158) ( 12) ( 10) ( 180) days
87/88 180 7770
131.2 6.4 6.2 143.8 6.7 766 2412 52004
days
This Committee began meeting in August 1988. Mrs. Shotton is the Board's representative on the QAC and reports to the Board on the results of the monthly meetings.
Hospital's Golden Jubilee
This was celebrated in May, 1989, with a week devoted to activities including the planting of a Time Capsule. Community response to the celebrations was very good, with functions being well-attended and former staff helping to commemorate the hospital's fifty years of service. Mrs Penny Greene convened a sub-committee of the board which organised the Golden Jubilee celebrations most successfully.
Staff Merit Awards
The first Staff Merit Award was presented to Sister Fay Hatch at the Annual Nurses Graduation and Presentation Night on 25 November. An award was also granted to Mrs. Joyce Fry for her organisation of a major Golden Jubilee function.
Hospital Graduations
During the year under review staff graduated as follows:
3 diplomates of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
4 graduate midwives 7 enrolled nurses
Non-Smoking Policy
Alice Springs Hospital implemented a smoke free policy over a period of time, with July 1, 1989, as the target date for the policy to come into force. A process of education and progressive signposting of the hospital resulted in a reasonably smooth transition.
Mental Health Services in Alice Springs
These were the subject of intensive scrutiny by Board members in the course of the year, following incidents which highlighted the unsuitability of Ward 1 for the treatment of some behaviourally disturbed patients. The Board invited various individuals to address i t on the provision of services to the mentally i l l at Alice Springs Hospital. The opening of the outdoor area attached to Ward 1 should have beneficial effects. Of major importance is the securing and retention of a psychiatrist to service the needs of mentally i l l patients in Central Australia.
Visitors to address the Board on this question included Dr. Joan Ridley, Dr. A. Merrifield and Mr. G. Desailly.
Meeting of Hospital Board Chairmen
This took place in October in Alice Springs and was attended by both Mrs. MacDonald as the Chairman of Alice Springs Hospital Management Board and Mrs. Shotton as the incoming chairman.
Valuable links were established with other hospitals and the opportunity to share common problems and possible solutions was appreciated. The decision was made to hold another meeting in Darwin in July, 1989, ·in order to take advantage of the availability of Central Office personnel to meet with the Chairmen.
Policy regarding Official Visitors
This was presented to the board for ratification by the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Peter Bradford.
Alice Springs Private Hospital
The Board met with advisors to the owners of the planned facility. There was opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest and to establish co-operative links with the organising group.
Mammography Service
Dr. Bradford prepared a paper at the Board's request on the availability of this diagnostic service for Centralian women.
The commencement of an interim general radiology service by a private firm of radiologists, Jones and Partners, was seen to lead to a weekly service commencing in July, with a mammography machine as part of the equipment made available.
Accreditation
The hospital is due to be surveyed for re-accreditation in May, 1990. Dr. Bradford provided members of the Board with a copy of the standards applicable to the Governing Body and Management so that these are available for discussion prior to the accreditation survey being conducted.
Visiting Hours
Visiting hours were reviewed following a trial period. The current visiting hours remain at 10 am - 12 noon; 2 pm - 8 pm following the success of this shortening of the hours.
Day Surgery Unit
Plans are well under way for the establishment of a four-bed Day Surgery Unit. It is envisaged that the unit will operate initially on 3 half-day sessions per week.
Violence in the Workplace
Mrs. L. Stevens, Director of Nursing, provided the Board with a copy of her paper "Violence in the Workplace" submitted by her to the National Committee on Violence. Between July and December, 198 8 there were fourteen ( 14) incidents recorded of physical abuse to staff in all wards of the Alice Springs Hospital.
From January to June, 1989, there were a further thirty (30) such incidents reported. The total of forty-four ( 44) for the year compares with thirty-six (36) for the period from July, 1987 to June, 1988. The problem is not decreasing, despite measures taken to protect staff. The forms of violence encountered include:
biting, punching, kicking, scratching, hitting with an object, spitting upon, and verbally abusing staff.
The security service has been extended to eight hours daily and the personnel given a wider area and scope of responsibility in the endeavour to improve staff safety. Property protection has been addressed by the provision of a secure area for staff vehicles.
CONCERNS
Finance
The Board again questions the adequacy of the budget allocation given the services that the community expects the hospital to provide.
Budget overruns are in many cases avoided only because the salary budget cannot be expended, given the difficulty experienced in recruiting and retaining both nursing and medical staff. Public expectations are, however, based on the hospital providing a comprehensive service in all areas of its operation. The increase in the number of violent incidents involving patients is an indication of public perception of the hospital being unable to meet all of the community's expectations and needs.
Nursing
As in 1987/88 the number of hours lost because of sick leave was again of concern to the Board. A study of the timing of such leave and the effect of the payment of relief staff on the budget for this aspect of the hospital's operations reinforced the Board's feeling that the morale of staff was not improved by the violence encountered in the various wards and by the pressure on nursing staff which results from their being required to work extra shifts.
Boarder Mothers
The subject of the cost-effectiveness of boarder mothers was again raised by members of the Board. It was felt that the situation required monitoring to ensure that the strain exerted on the budget by the provision of meals was balanced by the benefit accruing to the children. Those mothers who misuse the system and neglect the needs of their children put staff under unfair pressure, as well as adding to costs.
Medical
The Board continues to feel grave concern regarding the difficulty experienced in recruiting and retaining medical staff.
Given the isolated nature of Alice Springs (both professionally and socially) i t seems there is no recourse but to devise remuneration packages which will in some way compensate for the isolation and for the unique demands of the population being served.
Contracts which provide assistance with relocation and with housing should also include specified allowances to enable medical staff to attend interstate conferences and so to counteract the professional isolation, at least in some measure.
Recognition in tangible form, i.e. in an allowance for skill, should be given to the fact that a practitioner working at Alice Springs Hospital will encounter the widest possible range of disease and trauma amongst patients. His/her expertise will be tested daily.
The Board again highlights the concerns expressed in the 1987/88 Annual Report. Because of financial restrictions and the ongoing difficulty experienced in recruiting and retaining qualified and appropriate nursing and medical staff i t is becoming daily more difficult to provide the service demanded by the public and expected by the government.
MAY SHOTTON CHAIRMAN
ALICE SPRINGS HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT BOARD
