Right here there is an instance where 'governance' – Federal State & Local – collides with 'the community' and its wishes, wants and needs. Therefore, governments need to be engaged with their constituents and in ways that does not 'assume' that all the experts are in the employ of government or its 'agencies'. In the 21st C governance is undergoing dynamic change and communities and therefore their various modes of governance and administrative structures need to be up to and up for 'change'.
For instance, in regard to the Launceston General Hospital's (LGH) Ockerby Gardens Helipad when it comes to 'fixing things' it should be ‘anaesthetists’ who should be giving primary advice here along with paramedics, emergency nurses, helicopter pilots and a range of others in 'the community' rather than in-house administrative staff.
When the LGHhelipad was first installed bureaucrats overrode good professional advice especially that of a cohort of anaesthetists and pilots. Many of whom back then were less than comfortable with the outcome – but got on with it as we do in such circumstances. The passage of time has demonstrated the total folly in the assumptions made not to mention what is being exposed in the bureaucratic deeming and dreaming here.
Back then the bureaucrats ‘won’ and the medics et al along with 'Joe & Mary Public' lost as all too often happens in public administration. When life brings us full circle, we must pay attention. There are lessons there for us all to think about and act upon. Even Napoleon understood that with audacity you can undertake anything, but you just cannot do everything yourself.
There is an old bit of bush wisdom that goes … ASSUMPTION is the mother of all STUFFups … and all too often it is proven to be the case. Let us not just repeat past follies and let us give SUCCESS a real and fighting chance, she needs it – indeed we all need it. Why? Just so that we can save more lives in Northern Tasmania perhaps.
However, here we are again talking about pulling lives from the jaws of death and rather late in the day. And sadly ‘political bottom covering’ seems to be the main game here. Let the lessons be learned! Let’s move forward!
FROM THE EXAMINER: Acting premier Michael Ferguson believes the helipad at Launceston Airport will provide a sufficient short-term solution for the Launceston General Hospital.
Helicopters will no longer be able to land at the current helipad at LGH after it failed to comply with the updated regulations from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
Mr Ferguson said the airport was "safe and effective" to manage the new landing site temporarily. However, he stressed that LGH would be receiving a new helipad.
"We clearly need to see an upgrade for a helipad here in Launceston and I intend as treasurer to make sure that I work with the health department to support them through that, and I intend to ensure that the budget provides an allocation for a future upgrade," he said.
"[The airport is] not a long-term solution. We will find a long-term solution, we will identify a better location for a helipad, and we will build a helipad at Launceston. As treasurer, I have to ensure the budget will provide an allocation to support future infrastructure upgrades.
"It's critical infrastructure. So I'm concerned and I want to see it fixed."
As for a timeframe on when that would occur, Mr Ferguson was unsure and said more planning needs to be done.
"We don't know where it will need to go at this stage, but I do know that we will need a new helipad for Launceston," he said.
"In the meantime, we will ensure that the national regulators' rules are being followed because, as we all know, helicopter safety from recent events would again dictate that there are risks.
"We have to recognise those and CASA is the safety authority. They're the experts.
"We will now be looking for advice from the [health] department about what are the best long-term arrangements noting that as part of the Launceston General Hospital masterplan, there are already the beginnings of planning for a new location, I don't have that advice to hand and when it's available, we then look forward to sharing it."
CoL: Our Vision, Purpose and Values
LINK ... https://www.launceston.tas.gov.au/Council/Our-Vision-Purpose-and-Values
Libs haven’t reopened the Glen Dhu pool they closed, which means less well off kids no longer have access to learn to swim.
ReplyDeleteThey promised to refurbish and reopen, they haven’t fix what they claimed was broken. Now they have broken their promise by not doing the work and reopen.
More drownings and less fit people will result from this broken promise.
The reasons the helipad is there was to free up an ambulance as an ambulance needs to be available for the entire flight. It is much quicker for the patient to get to theatre and involves less patient movements.
ReplyDeleteThis needs to be fixed, Mr Deputy Premier do something now.
This is the bureaucracy waging the dog, Ferguson the next life lost is down to you or is it as I suspect just another down grade of the LGH