Care in ill health: MP

By Callan Date
THE health of young children is being put at risk due to practices at Casey’s maternal and child health centres, according to a local MP.
Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan said many mothers and their babies were being turned away from City of Casey maternal and child health centres with nothing more than a questionnaire to complete about their child’s health and development – a claim denied by the council.
Mr Donnellan said after speaking to senior Department of Human Services sources, he had confirmed that Casey was the only council in Victoria that had failed to meet contractual conditions on supplying maternal child health services for the past four years, “and it is simply not good enough”.
“Mothers around the city should be very concerned,” he said.
Mr Donnellan believes senior Casey officers have covered up the situation for more than 12 months, with the community and elected councillors in the dark over the issue.
Two Casey mothers have experienced the situation first-hand. Both mothers requested their surnames be withheld, but wanted other parents to know what happened to them.
Berwick resident Natalie said she was shocked when told her two-year-old couldn’t be booked in to see a nurse two weeks before Christmas.
“They told me that they were no longer taking bookings for two-year-olds and above because they were too busy with new-borns,” Natalie said.
“They asked if my son had any major health issues and when I said no, they told me they would send out a questionnaire for me to fill out.”
Katrina, an Endeavour Hills mother of two, said she was also asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding the health of her three-year-old child.
“Quite frankly I think it’s disgraceful,” she said.
“I demanded that we see a nurse and that’s what happened in the end.”
Katrina implored other parents to refuse to fill out the questionnaire and ask to be seen by a nurse in the first instance.
“We pay for these services so we should be able to see qualified nurses,” she said.
However, the City of Casey has denied the claims made by Mr Donnellan.
In a letter to the editor (see page 6), Casey mayor Colin Butler said the comments made by the MP were false and needed to be corrected.
He said the questionnaire the two mothers and Mr Donnellan referred to related to the Toddler Developmental Screening Service.
“This service is now offered to families with children over 12 months of age to ensure that all children have access to the relevant developmental checks prior to commencement at kindergarten,” Cr Butler said.
“It is important to note that this new toddler service is offered in addition to the maternal and child health service and not in replacement of it.”
Mr Donnellan, however, is standing by his comments and believes Casey Council has some of the worst employment practices in Victoria, resulting in a struggle to attract new maternal child and health nurses.
“From inquiries I have made, this is a very serious issue,” he said.
“I will be speaking to the Minister for Children as a matter of urgency to seek an investigation into this matter to ensure the families and mothers within this city are receiving the appropriate level of service.
“The health of a baby should not be assessed according to a questionnaire completed by unskilled parents.”
Casey deputy mayor Kevin Bradford raised the contentious issue at Tuesday night’s council meeting and asked council officers to arrange an urgent briefing of all councillors in relation to maternal and child health services in Casey.
Cr Bradford also requested the details of the contractual agreements between the City of Casey and the Department of Human Services be discussed.
Casey director of community services Jennie Lee replied that such a briefing had been organised for Wednesday, 31 January.
Mr Donnellan encouraged any parents who had any issues with Casey’s maternal child and health services to contact his office on 9706 0566.