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Terms of Reference
Letters Patent
ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
To Mr Peter Richard Garling SC.
By these Our Letters Patent, made and issued under the authority of the Special Commissions of Inquiry Act 1983, We hereby,
with the advice of the Executive Council, authorise you as Commissioner to inquire into and report to Our Governor of the said
State on the following matters concerning the delivery of acute care services in
public hospitals in New South Wales:
1. any systemic or institutional issues in the delivery of acute care services in NSW public hospitals raised in submissions you receive that you consider appropriate for you to inquire into and recommend any changes which should be made to address them;
2. identify existing models of patient care used in the delivery of acute care services in NSW public hospitals with particular regard to case management including supervision of junior clinical staff, clinical note-taking and record-keeping, and communication between health professionals involved in the care of a patient;
3. recommend any changes which should be made to the existing models of patient care identified under paragraph 2 to improve the quality and safety of patient care in NSW public hospitals;
4. identify any systemic impediments to the implementation of changes recommended under paragraph 3;
5. recommend any changes which NSW Health should make to overcome any impediments identified under paragraph 4; and
6. recommend any changes which NSW Health should make to ensure that its workforce policies and practices support improved models of patient care.
You may have regard to the developments arising from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission and other Commonwealth-State reforms in relation to Australian health care delivery, to the extent that they arise before the date for the delivery of your report.
You are to refer any individual patient complaints identified in the course of your inquiry to the Health Care Complaints Commission.
You may seek the advice of such eminent persons as you choose to engage who have expertise in any one or more of medical practice, nursing practice, allied health practice, hospital management and such other areas as you consider appropriate.
If you so desire, you may engage any such eminent persons from other States or the Territories or from outside Australia. This does not limit your ability to employ any other assistance under section 13 of the Special Commissions of Inquiry Act 1983.
AND hereby establish a Special Commission of Inquiry for this purpose.
AND OUR further will and pleasure is that you do, as expeditiously as possible, but in any case on or before 31 July 2008, deliver your final report in writing of the results of your inquiry to the office of
Our Governor in Sydney.
AND pursuant to section 21 of the Special Commissions of Inquiry Act it is hereby declared that sections 22, 23 and 24 shall apply to and in respect of the Special Commission the subject of these Our Letters Patent.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, WE have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent and the Public Seal of Our State to be hereunto affixed.
WITNESS Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir,
Companion of the Order of Australia,
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order,
Governor of the State of New South Wales
in the Commonwealth of Australia.
Dated this 29th day of January 2008.
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