Question
(cardiology department)
(1) How many staff work in the Canberra Hospital’s cardiology department.
(2) What is the breakdown of staff numbers, job title and classification.
(3) How many staff complaints have been made about the cardiology department since January 2021.
(4) What is the breakdown of the types of staff complaints.
(5) How many doctors are rostered on for duty in the department each day.
(6) How often have those doctors, referred to in part (5), not been in the hospital when they were rostered on duty.
(7) How many doctors have been involved.
(8) Where have those doctors been.
(9) Who is responsible for ensuring the doctors rostered on duty actually turn up to the cardiology department.
(10) Who is responsible for contacting the doctors who do not turn up when rostered for duty.
(11) Have there been complaints about doctors in other hospital departments who have been rostered on duty but not actually been in the building.
(12) How has patient care in the cardiology department been affected if doctors rostered on for duty are not actually in the building (according to a media report in The Canberra Times on Sunday, 5 June 2022).
Answer
(1) As of 31 May 2022, the CHS Cardiology Department comprised 86.88 FTE.
(2) The cardiology department comprises cardiologists, nurses, allied health and administrative staff. The breakdown for the unit is per the following table:
| Cardiology unit | Role | Classification | FTE |
| Cardiologist | Specialist | 6.97 | |
| Registrar | Registrar | 4 | |
| Office Manager | ASO4 | 1 | |
| Booking & Scheduling Officer | ASO3 | 4.2 | |
| Front Counter / Customer Service Officer | ASO2 | 3 | |
| Coronary Care Unit | Registered Nurse (RN) | RN2 | 13.93 |
| Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) | RN3 | 1 | |
| RN | RN1 | 17.11 | |
| Graduate Nurse | RN1 | 1 | |
| Cardiology Outpatients | CNS / Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) | RN3 | 3 |
| RN | RN2 | 3.52 | |
| Cardiac Sonographer | MI4 | 3 | |
| Cardiac Physiology & Sonography Manager | HP5 | 1 | |
| Cardiac Sonographer | HP4 | 0.62 | |
| Senior Cardiac Physiologist | HP3 | 1 | |
| Cardiac Physiologist | HP2 | 3.8 | |
| Graduate Cardiac Physiologist | HP1 | 3 | |
| Cardiac Catheter Laboratory | CNC | RN3 | 1 |
| RN | RN2 | 4 | |
| RN | RN1 | 6.63 | |
| Graduate Nurse | RN1 | 1 | |
| Medical Support | TO2 | 1 | |
| Electrophysiology | Cardiologist | Specialist | 1.1 |
| Office Manager | ASO4 | 1 |
(3) Since January 2021, there have been eight staff incidents/complaints made concerning the Cardiology Department.
(4) Of the eight incidents reported since January 2021, two related to claims of sexual harassment, two relating to inappropriate behaviour and four claims relating to bullying / inappropriate behaviour.
(5) The number of Cardiologists varies daily based on contractual obligations and other clinical commitments. Generally, the unit has between five and nine Cardiologists rostered from Monday to Friday.
(6) CHS is unable to comment as there is an ongoing investigation into the attendance of Cardiologists.
(7) See above.
(8) This information is related to allegations with are currently under investigation and therefore it is not appropriate to respond at this time.
(9) Responsibility for this sits with the Director of Cardiology.
(10) This is the responsibility of the Director of Cardiology and may be delegated to the Deputy Director of Cardiology or to an Administrative Support staff member.
(11) CHS has no information to suggest such complaints have been made.
(12) This information is related to allegations with are currently under investigation and therefore it is not appropriate to respond at this time.