Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris says the territory's health sector has "turned a corner", months after a scathing anonymous letter was penned by staff at Canberra Hospital's maternity ward.
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She said discussions had begun on a new territory wide approach to maternity services, which was announced after The Canberra Times revealed staff had serious concerns for patient safety.
The letter from clinical staff at Centenary Hospital for Women and Children outlined a series of issues including chronic overcrowding, bullying and understaffing.
Ms Fitzharris today responded to a Legislative Assembly resolution in May calling for information about the future of maternity services in the ACT.
She said the concerns outlined by staff in the letter had been "heard".
"ACT Health has since held forums to engage with staff over the issues raised and it's important to recognise that all staff at Centenary, including those who wrote the letter, are caring people who want the best for their patients," Ms Fitzharris told the Assembly.
Ms Fitzharris said the recent renovation of Calvary Hospital's maternity unit would make it a more attractive option for births and would encourage more mothers from the northside to consider the hospital.
She said ACT Health was conducting an internal review of the continuity of midwifery care models at Centenary Hospital, which was expected to be finalised later this year.
Following The Canberra Times' reports of the letter, a plan to develop a new territory wide approach to better manage maternity care across the ACT was announced.
Ms Fitzharris on Thursday told the Assembly the government was currently in discussions with key stakeholders about the new approach, with broader consultation to occur later in the year.
"Ultimately we want to develop a service which will make it much easier for people to navigate," she said.
"It will be easier for pregnant women and their GPs to understand the range of options available, what the best option for them is and where to go to get high quality care close to home.
"The recent accreditation process for Canberra Hospital ... also made it clear that health has turned a corner."
Opposition health spokeswoman Vicki Dunne said Ms Fitzharris had not offered any solutions for the "unrelenting pressures" on hospital staff in the maternity ward.
“The completion date for upgrades to the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children has blown out every year since the election," she said.
“Clearly, Ms Fitzharris can’t be taken at her word. Maternity staff needed these upgrades yesterday.”
Canberra Hospital flunked its accreditation earlier this year, with some of the failed criteria placing patients at "extreme risk".
An interim accreditation report by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards identified 33 of 209 core criteria where standards were not met.
ACT Health was given three months to fix the problems, with the government now confident it is on track to pass.
Ms Fitzharris has come under intense pressure following the letter and the disastrous accreditation report, surviving a motion of no confidence in May.
While publicly ACT Health has maintained staff would not be punished for sharing concerns, internal emails revealed a staff member accused of sending it was investigated for breaching the public service code.
