ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has responded to questions about the future of a Calvary-run palliative care home following attacks from the Canberra Liberals.
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Canberra Liberal leader Jeremy Hanson accused Ms Stephen-Smith of refusing to rule out "forcibly acquiring" Clare Holland House, a specialist end-of-life centre in Barton.
However on Wednesday, Ms Stephen-Smith said in the ACT Assembly it wouldn't be compulsory acquired because "we already own it".
"It is an ACT government-owned facility that is managed effectively under contract by Calvary Healthcare, so there would be no compulsory acquisition of Clare Holland House, because we already own it," she said.
Clare Holland House is publicly funded. The ACT government owns the land, building and pays for maintenance.
Legislation to allow the ACT government to takeover Calvary Public Hospital Bruce is expected to pass on Wednesday afternoon.
Canberra Health Services is expected to start running the hospital on July 3, with the transition to start next week.
Different agreement
The government said the hospice is run by Little Company of Mary - the organisation that runs Calvary Care - under a separate agreement to Calvary Public Hospital Bruce.
It said it will not be taking over operations of Clare Holland House at the same time as it takes over the public hospital, but will continue negotiations with Calvary over its future.
On the Calvary Care website, the hospice is referred to as "Clare Holland House on our Barton campus".
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However, Ms Stephen-Smith said ACT Health have repeatedly asked Little Company of Mary to operate and brand Clare Holland House separately to Calvary Public.
"I want to be clear that Clare Holland House is only part of this discussion because for many years Little Company of Mary has declined to enter into a separate contract for its operation, despite numerous requests from the ACT Health Directorate," she said.
"Even though it was originally established under a completely separate agreement, Calvary has identified Clare Holland House as the "Barton campus" of Calvary Public Hospital, and staff at Clare Holland are considered to be employees of the hospital."
However, she indicated on Tuesday that Calvary views Clare Holland House as part of the public hospital.
"It is our view that Claire Holland House is not covered by the Calvary Network Agreement. It is their view that it is part of Calvary Public Hospital Bruce," she said.
Clare Holland House staff
Ms Stephen-Smith said while Canberra Health Services would not be taking over the hospice during the Calvary acquisition transition period, they would assist with staffing levels.
"We are trying to resolve the situation with Calvary as quickly as possible," she said.
"Staff have faced significant challenges over the last year with the number of vacancies that are putting additional pressure on them.
"It is important that a resolution is reached so that recruitment can be finalised.
"In the meantime, during the transition period, Canberra Health Services will be able to step in and support this critical service in a way that hasn't been possible to date."
On Tuesday, the minister said the hospice will remain publicly funded.
"We are seeking to expedite those conversations with Calvary around the future operation of Clare Holland house, but I can assure the community it will remain a public facility," she said.
"We don't need to resolve that on the same timeline that we are resolving Calvary Public Hospital Bruce, but obviously, we want to have an answer for staff as quickly as possible."
Nurses' concerns
Mr Hanson accused the government of lacking transparency when it came to the hospice.
"They refuse to be upfront with the community," he said.
"Clare Holland House is a very highly regarded palliative care unit that has been providing an important service to the people of Canberra."
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation have also said members want more clarity over the future of the hospice.
They said nurses wanted Clare Holland House to remain under the same operator.
"ANMF members are particularly distressed by the prospect of palliative care services at [Clare Holland House] being hived off," they said in a statement last week.
The ACT government is working towards introducing voluntary assisted dying legislation.
However, Little Company of Mary Health Care told a 2018 inquiry it would not offer euthanasia through any its healthcare services in the ACT.
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