Angliss happy to be on waiting list

By Casey Neill
THE Angliss Hospital has welcomed new State Government plans to stamp out manipulated hospital waiting list figures.
Health services across Victoria will be subject to random audits under new accountability measures announced last week.
The move followed revelations in the Auditor-General’s report – Access to Public Hospitals: Measuring Performance – that several Melbourne hospitals fudged their waiting time figures.
The report did not find any Eastern Health facility had submitted false data.
The Upper Ferntree Gully hospital’s general manager, Natalie Sullivan, said the hospital’s regularly reviewed its data for accuracy. She said she supported the new measures.
Health Minister Daniel Andrews said unannounced spot audits would strengthen public hospital data reporting systems.
He also abolished a $40 million bonus pool that was to be distributed to services that met waiting list benchmarks.
“All Victorian hospitals are on notice,” he said.
“I have no tolerance for the falsification of data and there is no room in the Victorian public health system for anyone who thinks to the contrary.”
Mr Andrews said correct figures would ensure funding went to the right areas.
Ferntree Gully MP Nick Wakeling said the new measures did not go far enough.
“The Health Minister’s answer is to create another position for a faceless bureaucrat to audit waiting lists,” he said.
Mr Wakeling said a statewide independent audit and review was needed to “fix” Victoria’s hospital system.
“We must start by identifying all of the problems, not sweeping them under the carpet and hoping no one will notice,” he said.
Ms Sullivan last month hit back at claims she sacked a doctor for speaking out on waiting list figures.
Doctor Peter Lazzari claimed the Angliss fired him after his submission to Parliament’s public hospital performance inquiry.
Dr Lazzari told the inquiry Angliss Hospital manipulated waiting list data and threatened to fire staff who raised issues about faulty equipment.
Eastern Health said the decision not to renew Dr Lazzari’s contract was “entirely unrelated” to the inquiry, but could not comment further because of employer-staff confidentiality.
The Mail was unable to contact Dr Lazzari.