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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-21 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

Women's and Children's Health Network Cochlear Implant Program

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I inform the house that I have announced that an independent review will be conducted into the Women's and Children's Health Network Cochlear Implant Program. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Department for Health and Wellbeing, Dr Robyn Lawrence, to commission an interstate and independent expert to undertake the review. She has already made contact with interstate colleagues to identify the best available independent expertise.

It is clear that issues in audiological mapping over at least the past five years have led to some families having understandable concerns about the impact on their children. I am sure that all members would share with me our concerns and deepest sympathies for the children and the families who have been impacted. Over many years, some children did not receive the appropriate care that they needed, and I want to acknowledge the deep distress and hurt that this has caused.

Unfortunately, it has emerged that this issue of incorrect audiological mapping is a longstanding one, dating back at least five years. Last year, the Women's and Children's Health Network announced that they were rapidly identifying the full extent of patients affected, communicating openly with families involved in the program and implementing safeguards to ensure these issues would not continue.

WCHN took action to investigate families' concerns and notified the families of all 117 children in the program that an independent review was taking place. This review was also announced, and I have spoken about it in the parliament.

WCHN has now identified approximately 30 children who have not had their maps correctly adjusted over the course of at least five years and have taken steps to adjust those maps. WCHN is currently in the process of procuring independent clinical experts from a tertiary hospital interstate to review these individual children's cases. This is in addition to the independent review of the program.

The independent review of the program will be focused on how these mapping issues were enabled to occur over many years, and what needs to be put in place to ensure that other children can be assured of appropriate services in the future.

I have asked that all impacted families have the opportunity to contribute to this review, ensuring that their experiences and suggestions shape the reviewers' conclusions. The findings of this review will be made public and, unlike those opposite, we will not be politicising this issue—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Schubert is warned—before question time. Minister.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —as has occurred over the past five years, and we will be focused on putting safeguards in place to ensure that this issue does not happen again.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hartley is also warned.

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