Westmead Hospital Hygiene

About this Item
Speakers - O'Farrell Mr Barry; Page The Hon Ernest
Business - Private Members Statements

WESTMEAD HOSPITAL HYGIENE

Mr O'FARRELL (Northcott) [6.40]: On 21 April a constituent, Mrs Peta Hall of Pennant Hills, attended the Westmead emergency department with a member of her family who required medical attention. What Mrs Hall witnessed during her time at the hospital worried her to such an extent that she wrote to the hospital's chief executive officer in the following terms:

While waiting in Emergency on the evening of April 21st I became aware that bed sheets are clean for one patient, then turned for the next. I was told that this was a cost cutting measure as it costs seventy cents to clean each sheet.

Whilst on the one hand I applaud cost control, this particular measure seems to run contrary to good practice in an environment where hygiene is vital.

She went on to say:

With this in mind I enclose a cheque for fifty dollars to start the ball rolling.

Mrs Hall was advised about the 70¢ a sheet cost by a hospital employee who was present at the hospital on 21 April. Her donation represents the equivalent of having 71 sheets cleaned. Her actions are not those of a vexatious person; they are demonstrably the concerns of a person disturbed by what she saw on that day. On 10 May Mr Mills, the hospital's acting chief executive officer, wrote to Mrs Hall and said, in part:

I can understand your concerns about the need for a clean and hygienic approach to the care of people in our Emergency Department. The practice of double use for sheets, however, is not an unsafe practice and there is no risk of infection or any cross-contamination between patients. I have asked our infection control staff to review the practice and they have confirmed that it is quite appropriate.

Of course, if sheets are marked or dirtied, they are not re-used under any circumstances for a second patient. This important aspect has been re-emphasised with our staff in the Emergency Department.

That letter clearly confirms what Mrs Hall saw on 21 April. Mr Mills' letter detailing such practices understandably causes community concern. No-one I have spoken to thinks it is acceptable for an emergency department to turn sheets instead of washing them. I brought this matter to the attention of the Minister for Health through written representations and to the shadow minister. The shadow minister, the honourable member for North Shore, shares the concern that Mrs Hall and I have about this matter. She sought information from an infectious disease specialist, who confirmed the lack of wisdom of the sheet-turning practice. The shadow minister went public on the issue, with Mrs Hall's consent. The response of the Minister's
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office and that of Westmead Hospital was at worst outrageous and deceptive and at best misleading. An article in the Sunday Telegraph of 2 June stated:

A spokeswoman for Westmead Hospital said there had been some confusion over the letter. She said no patients were placed directly on sheets. Paper oversheets were placed on all bedding, were changed after every patient and were never re-used. If there was any soiling, the bedding, as well as the paper overlay was changed.

The two basic issues here are the inference that my constituent got it wrong and the community's expectations about safety and hygiene practices in the emergency department at Westmead Hospital. Mrs Hall did not get it wrong; she did not misrepresent what she saw and what she was told. Her actions in raising the matter privately with the hospital and her donation to the hospital put her intentions in the matter beyond doubt. They were the concerns of a fair-minded person disturbed by what she saw on 21 April. The community does not accept this practice, disposable top sheet or not, and it must end. I know enough about disease to know that carriers can be microscopic and invisible to the eye. A top sheet will not protect in the presence of disease a bottom sheet that is to be turned over and not changed. That practice concerned Mrs Hall, horrified me and disturbed an infectious disease specialist. This week Mrs Hall wrote to me again stating:

It seems that the hospital has decided to use disposable paper cover sheets. Whilst I have no way of knowing if this practice started after my letter was received, or because of the media coverage over the past few days, my objective has been achieved and safer procedures have been introduced.

I feel however, that I must assure you that on the night of the 21st of April there were no disposable paper cover sheets being utilised in the emergency area of Westmead Hospital despite the assurances of the unnamed hospital spokesperson.

The defence to the hospital's sheet-turning practice by the Minister's office and Westmead, anonymously as Mrs Hall notes, casts a cloud over the services offered by its emergency department. Until the practice of using disposable top sheets ends, people will have concerns about the practices of Westmead Hospital.

Mr E. T. PAGE (Coogee - Minister for Local Government) [6.45]: I will refer the matter to the Minister for Health, although it appears that the department has taken it up. I would be interested to know whether the practice of using disposable sheets originated during the time of the previous Government. It probably did. I would not be crass enough to suggest that I am an expert on health matters so I will not comment on the issue other than to say that I will refer the matter to the responsible Minister.

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