Hospital With No Patients

[icyfroth]

A minister has been forced to explain why more than 200 staff were being paid to work at Perth's new Fiona Stanley Hospital despite there being no patients due for eight months.

Despite delays to the opening of the $2 billion hospital, 230 staff from under-fire contractor Serco are already in place.

WA's health minister Kim Hames admitted the staff were being paid to prepare and maintain the hospital ahead of its staged opening beginning in October.

"About the half of those are getting ready, getting set up and maintaining the grounds," Dr Hames told Fairfax radio.

"There is a huge amount of work to be done, all the fitting needs to be done, we have got to put in equipment, all the beds, all the linen - all the stuff that you need to run a big hospital when it is fully operational.

"It is a big job, and a big hospital."

Serco's relationship with the Barnett government has been brought into question in recent weeks, following a series of escapes from prisons and detention centres being staffed by the private contractor.

Dr Hames said hundreds of medical staff were also already in positions at the hospital, some of them while employed at other hospitals, Dr Hames said.

"They are not sitting on their bum doing nothing, they are planning the whole service that will sit under their control," Dr Hames said.

The WA government has copped previous criticism after other health projects were "reprioritised" to free up tens of millions for a computing system at the Fiona Stanley Hospital.

The six-month delay in commissioning the new hospital - attributed to the complexity of a "paperless" computing system - is estimated to cost more than $50 million in fees to Serco.

The state opposition labelled the latest revelation as an "outrageous waste".

Link To Article

I suppose they can't just wait til a day before opening to get their staff in place. It needs to running smoothly when the first patients arrive.

[boris1gary]

Serco must be very, very happy. That British multi-national is everywhere.

Serco is rolling in it. According to its opaque financial statements which have just been filed, Serco Australia Pty Ltd enjoyed a rise in net profit from $49 million to $128 million last year.

[cherry*135]

That article is a bit lacking in detail and not well written.

What does this mean?

Dr Hames said hundreds of medical staff were also already in positions at the hospital, some of them while employed at other hospitals, Dr Hames said.

Medical staff made up of Specialists, Dr's, Nurses and Aides are rostered on and turn up to work at this hospital. What do they do all day. Can't see a Dr stacking sheets on the shelves.

Can the medical staff be employed at other hospitals the same time they are employed at this hospital? Specialists, yes, they work in different hospitals.. Nurses, don't think so.

 "About the half of those are getting ready, getting set up and maintaining the grounds,"

Not medical staff?

[boris1gary]

no I would take it that they are from the private company serco, it does say $50 million in fee's to serco and that's only what they are admitting.

[spotweldersfriend]

Serco has come under fire for overcharging,though I must admit they provide good service as the operator of Adelaide's bus service.

[carls*world]

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@boris1gary wrote:

Serco must be very, very happy. That British multi-national is everywhere.

Serco is rolling in it. According to its opaque financial statements which have just been filed, Serco Australia Pty Ltd enjoyed a rise in net profit from $49 million to $128 million last year.

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This is what gets fair and squarely on my goat about contracting.

If Govco Departments could simply look at what they're doing and run their OWN departments a bit better, they could achieve the same results at the same cost as the contractor can, leaving $128 million surplus to fund other areas. But no, a big Corp has to pocket a big profit.

[icyfroth]

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@carls*world wrote:

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@boris1gary wrote:

Serco must be very, very happy. That British multi-national is everywhere.

Serco is rolling in it. According to its opaque financial statements which have just been filed, Serco Australia Pty Ltd enjoyed a rise in net profit from $49 million to $128 million last year.

---

This is what gets fair and squarely on my goat about contracting.

If Govco Departments could simply look at what they're doing and run their OWN departments a bit better, they could achieve the same results at the same cost as the contractor can, leaving $128 million surplus to fund other areas. But no, a big Corp has to pocket a big profit.

---

Where do Serco source their workforce from? Do they use Australian workers?

[smilmertennis]

Can the medical staff be employed at other hospitals the same time they are employed at this hospital? Specialists, yes, they work in different hospitals.. Nurses, don't think so.

Yes I know of doctors and nurses who work at different medical institutions during the same period. They work some days (or nights) at one place and other shifts at another place.