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Referral

On 21 March 2017, the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services, introduced the Public Health (Infection Control) Amendment Bill 2017.

View: Public Health (Infection Control) Amendment Bill 2017
View: Explanatory Notes
View: Explanatory Speech
View: Report
View: Government response

The Bill was referred to the Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee for consideration.

The Bill

The Bill amends the Public Health Act 2005 (the Act) to strengthen the statutory infection control framework for health care facilities, eg public hospitals, medical and dental practices, and acupuncture clinics, which deliver declared health services.

Declared health services are those services intended to maintain, improve or restore a person’s health and which involve the performance of an invasive procedure or an activity which exposes the person or another person to blood or another bodily fluid.

The Bill amends the Act to:

• allow mandatory training, competency and infection control standards to be prescribed by regulation
• allow Queensland Health to require the operator of a health care facility to produce a copy of their Infection Control Management Plan or to amend an Infection Control Management Plan.
• empower authorised persons to enter premises to investigate infection risks without prior notice, and
• impose penalties for non-compliance with the infection control framework, and empower Queensland Health to direct the operator of a health care facility to take particular remedial action or to cease performing a particular health service.

Inquiry Timeline

Submission deadline:                Thursday, 20 April 2017 - 4:00pm

Public briefing:                          Thursday, 06 April 2017 - program - transcript

Reporting date:                         Monday, 15 May 2017