Paediatric Cochlear Implant Program

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:08): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister explain the timing and the reasons of the external governance review into the cochlear implant program at the Women's and Children's Hospital? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: It was confirmed on page 43 of the external governance review cochlear implant program report that the minister received a brief in August 2022 outlining issues with the program at the Women's and Children's Hospital; however, the external review of the program was not launched until March 2023, seven months later. The report notes that a level of agitation in relation to the program, coupled with some adverse media publicity, saw the minister implement the external review.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:09): As I consistently said to the house, these issues were first raised to me in August last year, and at that stage there was an investigation that was being conducted by the Women's and Children's Health Network.

That investigation was making contact with children who were part of the program. It offered work done in terms of making sure that those assessments were done of the children, and as the report specifically says there was a lot of work that was undertaken, there were a lot of changes that were made because of that and there were clearly more children who were identified as part of that program.

Then in March this year the Women's and Children's Hospital was advising that the number of children was significantly larger—up to 30 at that stage—and also clearly we heard issues from families that they were not satisfied with the investigation that was being done by the Women's and Children's Hospital, at which stage I ordered that an external governance report be undertaken in relation to this program.

That governance review was done completely at arm's length from the government. It involved interstate experts—a panel of experts not from this state—who had the full scope to review issues involved in that program. They have issued this report. That report has been released in full. That report has now had all recommendations accepted by the government and it is being treated extremely seriously to make sure that those issues never happen again.

The report also identifies that there were issues in terms of the initial investigation that happened at the Women's and Children's Hospital. As I said in my last answer, it makes recommendations in terms of improving the processes, not only at the Women's and Children's Hospital but also across SA Health, to make sure that those processes for look-back reviews, for open disclosure with patients, for safety and quality governance of the system, are improved for the future.