Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001

sector. The Conference culminated in a “hypothetical”, which provided an all too real
response from a broad range of participants for the fictitious scenario considered. The
Commissioner and her staff should be congratulated for conducting such an important
conference.
Health Records Act 2001
The Council has also been involved in consultations with the Commissioner in
relation to the implementation of the Health Records Act 2001.
This important piece of legislation provides a new scheme to deal with issues of
privacy and confidentiality of health records, access by patients and others, as well as
the role of the relationship between doctors and patients.
The new legislation also, importantly, restructures the Council by the addition of two
new members to specifically represent the issues involved with this legislation.
Although the new legislation will not be fully implemented until early next year,
much work has already been undertaken by the Commissioner’s office, and much
consideration has already been commenced by the Council in relation to the
requirements of the legislation. The Council has been fully briefed on the
implementation program by the Commissioner.
Training and Prevention
The Council has also spent time in recent months developing a proposal to support the
training and education functions of the Commissioner. The Council views prevention
as being preferable to cure. It is developing proposals to create and adapt kits and
materials for hospitals and healthcare providers to enable them to more properly deal
with healthcare complaints at source, thereby obviating the cost, delay and effort
required in dealing with formal complaints once they arise. Council’s experience
clearly indicates that, if complaints are dealt with at source, they are more readily
resolved, more likely to address the concerns of all parties involved, and substantially
reduce the costs to the institution or health provider associated with the complaint.
Specific Issues
The Council is also involved, on an ad hoc basis, in advising the Commissioner on a
number of particular issues that arise. The Council, and individual Members of the
Council, have been able to provide support and assistance to the Commissioner in
relation to specific complaints and investigations conducted by the Commissioner’s
office. The Council assists in the development of submissions made by the
Commissioner’s office, and receives much material from the Commissioner’s office
in relation to current developments, legal issues and progress of work.
Thanks
Finally, we recognise that the work of the Council could not proceed without the
support of a number of people.
First, we again recognise the tireless work of Beth Wilson, the Health Services
Commissioner. Her consultative approach to her role is well recognised in the
Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001 8