From the CEO

In a recent, rather terse, exchange with a Government organisation, the person on the other end of the Zoom meeting said to me, “What business is it of yours to interfere in [Dr X’s] case? What gives you the right to tell us what we should be doing?”

It was this moment that I wished the meeting had been face-to-face so I could draw myself up to my full 5’2” height.  

With all the dignity I could muster I said, “It’s my business because it matters to my doctors and anything that matters to my doctors is the AMA’s business.”

This is why, in any given year, we deal with seemingly disparate issues – from tunnels to border closures, climate change to rates of pay for administrative staff, Medically Supervised Injecting Centres to services and resources for hospitals. If it affects our members, then it’s our business.

We sincerely hope for 2021 that less of our business will focus on COVID and that we will be returning to a focus on our health system. COVID has provided the opportunity for people to understand the value of good health and good healthcare. It has allowed walls to be built and walls to be taken down. It has exposed some of the weaknesses of a delicately balanced and interconnected system that exists between general practice, private specialist practice, private and public hospitals.

Like many of you are probably experiencing, the tide of COVID-related meetings and advocacy is slowing receding. What were once daily catch ups have now slowly disappeared from the diary and, as a result, non-COVID-related topics are coming back on the agenda.  

Hospital Health Check

Recently, we met with LHD Chief Executives to discuss the 2020 Hospital Health Check (HHC) results. We congratulated Wagga Wagga and Hornsby Hospital for once again topping the HHC – Wagga having done so for the fourth year in a row. 

These hospitals reflect a whole-of-hospital approach to supporting not only doctors-in-training but senior doctors. We have been particularly pleased to see improvements in the claiming of overtime and positive feedback from hospitals using the online claiming app. And while results have improved this year, there are remaining issues around access to leave – particularly study leave. 

Serious adverse events

We have also been working with the Ministry on the review of the serious adverse events policy – previously known as root cause analysis. 

As I write this column, there has been media coverage of an event in which, unfortunately, doctors were named. This is contrary to the ethos and intention of the serious adverse event review. 

Recent legislative and policy changes have been developed to provide more immediate information to hospitals and families. However, information provided to families should appropriately balance the needs of closure and the important process of reflection and review associated with a proper serious adverse events process. 

All participants in a serious adverse events review process need to be confident that their feedback will be respected and will contribute to a genuine, no blame, system improvement process. Where this does not occur, or confidence in such a process is undermined, the process will not be successful. 

iCare – in name only?

We have also responded to a significant number of submissions, including many initiated by SIRA. While we value our strong relationship with SIRA, we have been very concerned by iCare’s decision to leak information out of context in a clear attempt to impugn the integrity of doctors. Our message to all stakeholders in the workers compensation system is that you must engage with doctors and treat them with respect if they are to provide the best input to supporting injured workers. Doctors are the most critical point of contact for an injured worker. If the system is to succeed, then it is imperative iCare lives up to its name.