The NSW Health Minister has committed the NSW Government will ‘do everything they can’ to return Northern Beaches Hospital public services back into public hands, in front of hundreds of concerned community members at a packed public meeting hosted by local NSW State MPs Jacqui Scruby and Michael Regan.
The news, that spells the end of the public private partnership (PPP) that the hospital currently operates under, was greeted with loud applause across the room.
“The NSW Treasurer and I have made a decision to try and right a wrong,” Health Minister Ryan Park told the meeting.
“It’s not going to be easy but we can get there. This is a model of health care that no longer works. From my perspective it’s a model that doesn’t deliver benefits to the community in a way a public hospital does. There is a focus on the bottom line.”
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the government owed the community and should be accountable.
“Private equity should not be running acute emergency care.”
He revealed that the Northern Beaches Hospital current operators Healthscope had told the government “You want us to leave, so pay us to go”, but that he was determined to ensure that “private equity should not get a windfall from the end of the partnership.”
Healthscope had also stated, as revealed in the Audit Office report, it wanted to retain 192 private beds until 2058.
However, that had preceded yet another Healthscope development.
On Monday May 12, Healthscope, stated it had asked its lenders to take control of the board and oversee the search for a new owner in a bid to stave off insolvency and keep its network of 38 hospitals open.
“Under the plan, lenders will have the ability to appoint their own nominees to the board as soon as they are in a position to do so,” Healthscope said in a statement. “The company has sent all lenders a letter detailing and committing to a transition of control to lenders”.
Brookfield’s plan to hand control of Healthscope to its lenders brings its involvement to an end.
Elouise Massa, mother of two-year-old Joe Massa, who has bravely campaigned for change to the public private arrangement after he tragically lost his life at the hospital last year, said she looked forward to services being in public control.
“I never imagined losing Joe would give me so much courage.”
She described the failings of the PPP as “catastrophic” telling the audience it is time “to do what is right, just and good.”
Elouise and Danny Massa speaking at the forum
Minister Park said new arrangements would “put safety first, safety second and safety third,” and promised it would enforce nurse patient ratios.
Liberal Shadow Minister for Health Kellie Sloane acknowledged the failure of the PPP and said she would “not make excuses for decisions of the past.”
She pledged opposition support for finding solutions, but blamed Healthscope saying it had “fallen short of the trust that was placed in it by this community and by the former government.”
The forum panellists answered questions from the audience.
Ry Atkinson, uncle of baby Harper, who tragically died after surgical delays at the hospital, asked for increased funding right now for Northern Beaches Hospital. Treasurer Mookhey responded saying the government had provided top up funding to the hospital already.
Asked by a staff representative about whether there’d be increased funding if the hospital is taken over by the government, Minister Park replied: “We are not in the game of reducing services at the Northern Beaches Hospital and we will make sure it is a properly funded hospital.”
The treasurer assured everyone that his staff were working “seven days a week” and “around the clock” on extracting the hospital from the PPP contract, although when pressed he said the timeline is still “uncertain”. He assured the audience that while Healthscope’s “finances are precarious…NSW health has been preparing contingency planning.”
The meeting ended with emergency department consultant Cliff Reid saying staff at the hospital were both dedicated and world class.
“I want everyone to know that they can sleep at night,” he said.
Local federal MPs Dr Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall OAM MP, NSW Shadow Health Minister Kellie Sloane, and NSW MP for Manly James Griffin, along with former NSW Premier Barrie Unsworth, were all present at the meeting. The audience included families, representatives from Pittwater residents groups and the Save Mona Vale Hospital Community Action Group, community members, staff from the hospital and their representatives, and NSW Health counselling support.
Mr Regan, member for Wakehurst, who has long campaigned for change to the public private partnership, said: “The reality is that at the Northern Beaches Hospital, we are getting cut cost healthcare and it’s not sustainable.
“I’d like to thank the NSW Government for fronting up and genuinely giving their commitment to fix this mess they inherited. I have been pushing for this since day one and will continue to work with the community and the government until we have the world class public healthcare our community needs and deserves.
“We will continue to keep the community informed, including more public forums as the situation evolves.”
Ms Scruby added: “Things are moving incredibly quickly both in relation to Healthscope’s financial problems and the NSW Government’s response.
“The public private partnership has already been diabolical. Now we have a hospital that is being run by a company controlled by its lenders and embarking. The opposition now wants to work to find a solution, but they are responsible for creating this mess and it’s the least they can do. We’ve seen a 180 from the Liberal Party, who have apologised to the community and admitted the NBH has been a failure.
“The last thing we want is a new private operator, so the only feasible option is the NSW Government bringing the service into public hands. It’s clear that that is the government’s intention and that is welcome news.”
She stressed that a return to public hands won’t deliver improved services unless further operational investment is made.
“There are many failings, with a significant number relating to underfunding. It won’t be enough to buy back the hospital - we need improvements and increases to services and that will require additional operating expenditure. Minister Park committed to working closely with the Medical Staff Council, doctors who work at the hospital but feel they have been ignored and could have predicted the many issues that have eventuated.”
Ms Scruby said that community voices were crucial in rebuilding trust in public services at the hospital.
“That trust was shattered by the heart-breaking death of two-year-old Joe Massa and baby Harper - and the many people who have shared their experiences with me, and with Michael. Too many people. Too many disturbing stories.
“Joe’s death exposed deep flaws in the operation of Northern Beaches Hospital. When families walk into a public hospital, they should never have to question whether the system will fail them.”
The parliamentary inquiry into the hospital is currently taking submissions (until May 20). Both Mr Regan and Ms Scruby are urging community members to take part in the inquiry.
“It's important that the committee conducting the inquiry hear our experiences and opinions. Every submission can help improve the care our community receives at Northern Beaches Hospital,” said Ms Scruby.
The Save Mona Vale Hospital Community Action Group, formed in 2000 as the 'Save Mona Vale Hospital Committee', encapsulated what has been sent in or stated by numerous residents in the past weeks. In a statement to the news service the group said :
“We do not accept that Healthscope should relinquish just the public section and retain the profit-making private section. The design of the one main building is such that separating the public and private sectors would be fraught with problems.
To allow Healthscope to continue running a private hospital at the site, even if it could be disentangled from the public hospital, would mean the public facility would not benefit from the health insurance payments made on behalf of private patients. This would reward Healthscope, allowing it to run the private hospital effectively funded by insurance companies.”
We believe Healthscope should relinquish the whole hospital, which should be run as a public facility as residents have lost two public hospitals. ”
“As a public facility, Northern Beaches Hospital should include public clinics, public pathology and imaging units, operating theatres, a youth mental health ward and a stroke unit.
“A stroke unit is necessary at NBH to treat all types of strokes because timing is so critical to successful treatment. The closure of Mona Vale Hospital has resulted in a significant increase in travel time for people to a hospital, reviving memories of the DOAs from the 1960s. Palm Beach to NBH is 26 kms. Northern Beaches Hospital is closer to residents in Bondi Junction than those in Palm Beach.
“Planning must also commence for the rebuilding of a public hospital at Mona Vale. Since the 1960s, the local population has increased significantly, with the associated increased demand for health care. Despite this, the previous government closed two accessible public hospitals and replaced them with the private Northern Beaches Hospital. Now, under the NSW Government Low and Medium Rise changes, approximately 8,000 more residents are planned for Mona Vale.”
Representatives from Northern Beaches Labor met with the NSW Minister for Health and Regional Health the Hon Ryan Park to discuss the future of Northern Beaches Hospital prior to the forum.
The meeting, held on Thursday May 8 at the NSW Parliament, canvassed the options available to the government to address the shortcomings in the flawed public-private partnership model drawn up and signed by the former Coalition government.
''Health care is a fundamental public service that should not be compromised by profit-driven models.
Restoring the Northern Beaches Hospital to full public hands would ensure that patient care, community needs, and workforce wellbeing are prioritised over financial returns. It would allow for greater oversight, improved service delivery, and a renewed focus on equity and accessibility.'' the representatives said
''Labor representatives understand that this is an extremely complex matter and that unwinding the damage that has been done by the previous government will take time.''
Representatives of Labor Northern Beaches branches at the meeting were: Ryan O’Sullivan and Sue Wright (Dee Why branch); Brandt Clifford (Manly branch); and Bob Bowden (Narrabeen-Pittwater branch).
The Labor representatives extended their appreciation to Minister Park, Minister Mookhey and their advisers for the frank and open consultation on this matter which is vital to the people of the Northern Beaches.
