August 1 - 30, 2025: Issue 646

 

NSW Health transition team deployed to Northern Beaches Hospital

Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby with NSW Minister for Health the Hon. Ryan Park and Wakehurst MP Michael Regan on Monday during the NBH Transition Team deployment announcement. Photo supplied.

On Monday September 1 the NSW Government announced it has deployed a NSW Health team to work alongside staff at Northern Beaches Hospital to prepare for the hospital’s eventual transition from a public private partnership.

From Monday, the transition assessment and planning (TAP) team comprised of staff from the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) will be on site at Northern Beaches Hospital. 

They will work collaboratively with their Healthscope colleagues to fully understand the priority areas for when the operations of the hospital are transitioned to NSLHD and NSW Health.

The Government stated that while this work is underway, the key focus for everyone involved will be to ensure there is no disruption to the provision of safe and efficient care at Northern Beaches Hospital, which continues to be operated by Healthscope.

The NSW Health team includes up to 15 senior leaders from IT, patient safety and culture, clinical operations, workforce, finance and corporate services.

Priority areas include the IT systems and clinical applications used by Healthscope, but not in use by NSW Health. The team will also identify other key areas where policy, procedure or practice gaps exist between how the hospital currently operates and how it will operate as part of the NSW Health system.

Negotiations are continuing between the Northern Beaches Hospital Taskforce, Healthscope and its receivers, including working through the highly complex contractual and financial arrangements in place for Northern Beaches Hospital.

It remains the preference of the NSW Government that a negotiated agreement on the future control and operation of the Northern Beaches Hospital can be achieved, but in the absence of agreement, the government has passed legislation to give it the authority to intervene and avoid a prolonged dispute for members of the community, hospital staff and NSW taxpayers.

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NSW Treasurer the Hon. Daniel Mookhey said on Monday: 

“This is a critical next step as we progress towards ending the Liberals’ failed privatisation experiment at the Northern Beaches Hospital.

“The Northern Beaches community and the hard-working hospital staff deserve a resolution and this team will help us better understand the full picture.

“The government remains committed to reaching an agreed outcome with Healthscope and its receivers and those negotiations continue.”

NSW Minister for Health the Hon. Ryan Park stated: 

“We want to see Northern Beaches Hospital transition out of its PPP arrangement. 

“For a successful and smooth transition, we need to fully understand the systems, processes and ways of working at Northern Beaches Hospital.

“This major hospital is a complex and busy setting, so it is important we have boots, eyes and ears on the ground to identify priority risks.

“The transition will naturally be challenging, but we want to give the hospital the best head-start upon its transition to NSW Health. 

“That’s what the deployment of our specialist transition team to the hospital is all about. 

“I want to assure staff and the community that our priority is no disruption to the provision of safe.” and ongoing healthcare. 

Northern Sydney Local Health District Chief Executive Anthony Schembri said:

“Firstly, I want to thank the incredibly professional and committed workforce at Northern Beaches Hospital with whom we share a focus on delivering safe, high-quality care.

“Our team is keen to work collaboratively with the team at Northern Beaches Hospital to fully understand the systems and processes they have in place, building on planning that has been underway for several months now regarding a future transition.

“As we undertake this work, we will ensure there is no disruption to the care that is being provided to the people of the Northern Beaches. Patient safety and staff wellbeing are our priority during this transition period.”

McGrathNicol partner & appointed receiver Jason Ireland and Healthscope CEO Tino La Spina stated:

“McGrathNicol and Healthscope continue to engage constructively with the NSW Government in negotiations for the future ownership and operation of the Northern Beaches Hospital. We welcome this important step in the process. 

“Patient care remains the priority whilst the efficient transition of hospital operations is negotiated on a commercial basis.

“During this time Northern Beaches Hospital continues to operate, providing best practice patient care and services. We want to thank all staff for their ongoing commitment to the Northern Beaches community. “ 

Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby stated:

''Today’s arrival of a transition team at Northern Beaches Hospital is a critical step in ending the failed public private partnership and bringing the hospital into public hands.

“This is a critical shift in undoing the failed public private partnership that we’ve been fighting for, to make Northern Beaches Hospital a publicly run hospital, run in the interests of patients and staff,” Ms Scruby said.

From today, a NSW Health transition team will spend four weeks inside the hospital to:

  • map how the hospital operates day-to-day
  • review IT systems and digital health integration
  • understand staffing structures and skill mix
  • align clinical governance and adverse event reporting with NSW Health.

The team will focus on clinical and operational work and will ensure the hospital continues to function while the groundwork for transition is laid. 

“I want to reassure staff and patients that there will be no disruption to existing service provision. The staff at the hospital are dedicated and professional and have continued to work professionally under challenging circumstances,” Ms Scruby said. 

“As of today, we have boots on the ground undertaking the necessary due diligence to review systems and reporting - key problem areas identified in the audit of the hospital. We are finally getting visibility over systems that the community and government have never had under the public private partnership operated by Healthscope.”

Ms Scruby acknowledged Healthscope’s cooperation in signing an agreement that allowed the process to begin. Healthscope has been in receivership since May. There is no timeline for the transition available yet.

Today’s announcement follows the June 27 2025 passage of Member for Wakehurst, Michael Regan’s Health Services Amendment (Northern Beaches Hospital Deed Termination) Bill 2025, which gives the Minister for Health the power to terminate the deed with Healthscope if negotiations fail.

“Together with independent Member for Wakehurst Michael Regan, we have been successful in calling for greater transparency and accountability through Independent Audits, NSW Parliamentary inquiries and legislation. This transition team is the next step in resolving many of the issues that have been found through those processes.”

“My position is clear - with a growing and ageing population the NSW Government should buy the whole hospital, not just public services.” Ms Scruby said

Mackellar MP Dr Sophie Scamps welcomed the news.

“This news will bring relief to the community and hospital staff, who have been calling out systemic operational problems with the public-private partnership, including unsafe staffing levels, since the hospital’s opening,” Dr Scamps said.

“Today marks a new era for Northern Beaches Hospital, which is now on a pathway to be brought back under public management and fulfill its core purpose - delivering safe, effective, and equitable healthcare now and into the future.

“What is clear is that hospital staff have not been listened to, effectively resourced or supported by Healthscope, the private operator of the hospital, for many years - however this stops today.”