Dear Supporters. 

It has been a while since I last provided an update, and I'm pleased to say that Dr Hamish Campbell, MP for Ilam and Deputy Chair of the Health Select Committee, has agreed to support the petition and request that it be introduced to the House on the next sitting day. 

What does this mean? Well, a petition must first be supported by a member of parliament before the Clerk of the House can read it out. Now that that has been done, the Clerk of the House will introduce the petition to the House on the next sitting day, January 28th. 

Once the petition has been introduced to the House, it will be referred to the Petitions Committee. The committee will request further information from the petitioner or relevant agencies or decide whether to refer the petition to the appropriate Select Committee or the Minister, who must publish and present a response within 60 working days. 

So, in short, we're making progress and getting the word out there that the HDC needs to be better funded and supported by Government. 

HDC's investigation continues

The HDC requested that my sister and I respond to their experts review of the case, which we submitted last week. Our response expressed our views on the doctor's decision to proceed with the procedure and the HDC's independent experts' findings, which highlighted that this was a severe departure from the standard of care expected. We made it clear that we expect the HDC to hold the Doctor fully accountable for his actions.

The HDCs investigation appears to be nearing its end, and the Medical Council has now been informed. 

What's disappointing is that the Doctor has decided he does not wish to engage with the process...

A meeting with the Aged Care Commissioner

The Aged Care Commissioner at the HDC has agreed to meet with me to discuss the details of investigating our complaint and what the HDC is doing to improve their processes. This meeting should be taking place in February. 

As always, my sister and I are grateful for your support, and we look forward to seeing what the Petition Committee at Parliament decides. 

Regards,
Gareth