January 1 - 31, 2026: Issue 650

 

Northern Beaches Hospital to Transition to  Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) on April 29 2026 - Dee Why Medicare Urgent Care Clinic Now open - Bed Block Surges in NSW Hospitals 

ED performance improves but more to do: BHI reports

Photo of NB Hospital by Cabrils.

Northern Beaches Hospital to Transition to  Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) on April 29 2026

Northern Beaches Hospital will officially transition from a public-private partnership to full public ownership under NSW Health on 29 April 2026. The 494-bed facility, previously operated by Healthscope, is being taken over by the state in a $190 million deal to improve public access and experience, with all staff offered roles within NSW Health. 

This follows on from the Tuesday October 21 2025 NSW Government announcement the Northern Beaches Hospital’s shift to public ownership is nearing its conclusion, with in-principle agreement reached with Healthscope’s receivers on a $190 million payment for the transition.

In late November 2025 Anthony Schembri AM, Chief Executive of the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) and Kathryn Berry, Chief Executive Officer of NBH held a 'town hall' in the Education Centre, Level 4 at Northern Beaches Hospital on Friday 12 December 2025 to update and go through details with NBH workers.

The update states 'Letters of offer were sent to most NBH staff before Christmas 2025. The valued medical staff, including junior medical officers, staff specialists and visiting medical officers, will receive their offers early this year (2026) to align with clinical training terms and allow for a safe, expedited credentialling process for staff specialists and visiting medical officers.

The Northern Beaches Hospital Clinical Services Plan update aims to integrate NBH into the NSLHD network and future planning. This process will confirm role delineation for each specialty, assess service capacity, and identify opportunities for innovation and private service delivery.

The update will also support NBH’s transition as a level 5 public facility, ensuring sustainable models of care and improved patient flow across the district.'

A further January 16 2026 Update for staff provides:
NSW Health will recognise personal (sick and carer’s) leave balance. Your balance will be transferred across to your new role with Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) and HealthShare NSW (HSNSW). Healthscope will not deduct any pay-as-you-go (PAYG) tax from your personal leave balance that is transferred to NSW Health.

NSW Health will recognise long service leave balance. Your balance will be transferred across to your new role with NSW Health.
Healthscope will not deduct any PAYG withholding tax from your long service leave balance that is transferred to NSW Health. 

Annual Leave
There are two options with your annual leave balance:
1) To transfer your annual leave, or
2) To have your annual leave paid out.

You cannot choose a combination of the two options, you must choose one or the other. Each option has tax implications. NSW Health strongly recommend you obtain financial advice about which option is best for you. Healthscope will write to you with instructions about making your annual leave choice. If you do not indicate your choice, your annual leave will be paid out and you will commence NSW Health with a zero annual leave balance.

More detailed information about the annual leave options is available in the Annual Leave Factsheet.

NSW Health will recognise unbroken past service and continuity of service with Healthscope for the purpose of service-based entitlements (including in relation to your entitlement to parental leave), arising under applicable NSW industrial instruments and legislation, except where Healthscope has already paid out those entitlements to you upon the termination of your employment with Healthscope.

Those employed by a contractor, not Healthscope will remain employed by your current employer. As part of the transition, NSW Health and Healthscope will engage with contractors and third-party providers to discuss the terms of agreements and leases. Your employer will provide further advice following those discussions.

Healthscope and NSW Health believe the transition of the NBH workforce will deliver the best outcomes for our patients, our team and the Northern Beaches community. We encourage you to accept the offer of employment made to you by NSW Health. If you decide not to accept NSW Health's offer, Healthscope will look to transfer you to another role in the Healthscope hospital network before 29 April 2026.

MP for Pittwater Welcomes Finalisation of Northern Beaches Hospital agreement

On December 22, 2025 Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby stated she welcomed finalisation of the Northern Beaches Hospital agreement  between Healthscope and the NSW Government, to return Northern Beaches Hospital to public ownership.  

Ms Scruby said: “This is an important milestone for care in the northern beaches and is a win for patients, staff and the Pittwater community who faced significant uncertainty with the hospital being placed into receivership and for sale following Healthscope’s collapse. However, the government must deliver on its promise of retaining private hospital services.” 

Under the agreement, the 494-bed hospital will return to public ownership and be integrated into the NSW public health system, with staff offered ongoing employment and their leave entitlements preserved.

“Confirmation of these details provides better clarity and stability for public hospital staff which will be welcome news before Christmas as many have faced months of uncertainty about their futures. However, private doctors and staff continue to be left in limbo,” she said.

“Public hospitals should be public and now ours will be. No more profits before patients. But we must fight for our private hospital services. The government has promised to deliver but has failed to confirm key details, including transition arrangements and whether doctors can book lists beyond April.”

“The majority of residents hold private health insurance and want choice between public and private healthcare, so it is vital that the government ensures that private services at Northern Beaches Hospital are maintained into the future.”

“Today’s agreement is a significant step towards restoring confidence, stability and trust in our local hospital so that it may deliver the care our community deserves, but I continue to put weekly pressure on the government to give certainty to our private doctors and ensure we don’t lose our outstanding private services.”

STATEMENT FROM AMA (NSW) PRESIDENT, DR. KATHRYN AUSTIN

December 22, 2025:
''AMA (NSW) is seeking clarity following today’s NSW Government announcement on the future of Northern Beaches Hospital. Hospital staff and community members were given commitments that that it would be “business as usual” at Northern Beaches Hospital in 2026.

Yet, today’s announcement makes no mention of whether the hospital will continue providing private services to residents. More than 20,000 private surgeries are performed at Northern Beaches Hospital each year. If these services are reduced or removed without a clear, funded replacement, the result will be longer waiting lists, reduced access and patients being forced to seek care outside their community.

More than 200 senior doctors at Northern Beaches Hospital voted unanimously to retain private services to protect access, continuity of care and patient choice. Many of those doctors are now questioning whether they can continue practicing at the hospital.

Minister Park has yet to explain whether Northern Beaches Hospital will retain its Level 5 capability, how its 494 beds will be sustainably funded, or how lost private capacity will be replaced. These are fundamental questions that go to patient safety and service delivery, and the continued failure to answer them is unacceptable.

The people of the northern beaches were promised certainty, transparency and choice. Instead, they are being left with confusion and broken commitments.

AMA (NSW) is calling on the NSW Government to provide certainty and transparency and to honour its original commitment to the northern beaches community.''


Dee Why/Brookvale-Chatswood Medicare Urgent Care clinics now open

On Saturday January 17 2026 The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing, announced the opening of the Chatswood and Dee Why Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.
 
The Chatswood Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is located at 270 Victoria Avenue Chatswood, and the Dee Why Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at 10 Dale Street Brookvale, both now open over extended hours, seven days a week.
 
No appointment is needed, patients can walk in and all services are bulk billed.
 
The government stated both clinics have highly trained doctors and nurses equipped to treat a range of conditions and injuries that need urgent attention but aren’t life threatening, including cuts, viral infections, or a sprained ankle.
 
The Chatswood Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will ease pressure on the busy Royal North Shore Hospital, where around 43 per cent of presentations in 2023-24 were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.
 
The Dee Why Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will ease pressure on the busy Northern Beaches Hospital, where around 36 per cent of presentations in 2023-24 were for semi-urgent or non‑urgent conditions.
 
New data from the NSW Bureau of Health shows the Albanese Government’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across New South Wales are easing pressure on NSW hospitals. Semi-urgent presentations to NSW emergency departments have dropped by 5.1 per cent while non-urgent presentations have dropped by 8.7 per cent.
 
This is part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to deliver more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across the country with 4 out of 5 Australians to live within a 20 minutes drive from their local clinic.
 
Labor’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have already seen more than 2.4 million presentations since the first sites opened in June 2023, including over 495,800 presentations to New South Wales Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.
 
Over one in four of these were patients aged under 15 years old, more than one in four were on weekends, and over one in five were weekday after hours visits (at or after 5pm).
 
The Chatswood and Dee Why Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are commissioned by Northern Sydney Primary Health Network.

Minister Butler said:

"These Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are a game changer for families in Chatswood and Dee Why.
 
“The Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will ease pressure on local hospital emergency departments and free up staff at the hospitals to provide care to people with more serious conditions.

“The clinics are a key part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to strengthen Medicare and make health care more accessible and affordable.” 
 
Senator Jenny McAllister, Senator for NSW, stated:
 
“Our Government is delivering better health care for Sydney's northern suburbs with the opening of the Chatswood and Dee Why Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.
 
“These clinics are open for extended hours, seven days a week and will provide bulk billed urgent care closer to home."
 
Jerome Laxale MP, Member for Bennelong, said:
 
“This clinic will make a real difference for locals by providing convenient, bulk billed urgent care right here in the heart of Chatswood.
 
“The opening of the clinic is a huge win for our community, taking the pressure off the emergency department at Royal North Shore Hospital.”  

Commonwealth 'Bed Block' Surges in NSW

Bed block in state hospitals has surged by over 50 per cent over the past year. Despite this, emergency department (ED) treatment times are continuing to show signs of turning around with the state achieving another yearly improvement in T2 emergency treatment times.

As of early 2026, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has highlighted a major "bed block" crisis, reporting that approximately 1,200 to 1,300 patients who are ready for discharge are occupying beds in NSW public hospitals while waiting for Commonwealth-funded aged care or NDIS placement.

Minister Park stated that this backlog effectively removes the equivalent of two major hospitals (such as Westmead and Mount Druitt) from the system, placing immense pressure on emergency departments.

Figures cited in late 2025 indicated that of these patients, over 680 were waiting for aged care, and over 530 were waiting for NDIS placements.

Mr. Park has strongly criticised the Federal Government over these delays, calling it "not acceptable" for hospital beds to be tied up long-term due to a lack of, or slow, NDIS and aged care support.

This crisis has created a stalemate in negotiations over a new National Health Reform Agreement, with state health ministers demanding better solutions from the Commonwealth.

While addressing the bed block, the Minns Labor Government has announced the appointment of builders for additional beds at hospitals like Blacktown to help relieve pressure, with projects being brought forward to 2026. 

Data released on December 10 2025 in the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) MyHospitals update reinforces this improvement, showing that despite having the highest demand for emergency care in the country, NSW hospitals had the shortest emergency care wait times in the country for 2024-25.

T2 emergency treatment times continue to turn around
The latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) quarterly report shows ED treatment times are turning around during this same period.
NSW hospitals recorded a third consecutive increase in a quarter of the number of T2 emergency patients being treated within ten minutes, when compared to the same quarters in 2024. 

It follows increases in the number of T2 patients being treated within ten minutes in the March 2025 quarter as well as the June 2025 quarter, compared to the same quarters in the previous year.

T2 emergency patients are among the most unwell including those suffering from chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe fractures, serious abdominal pain and sepsis - and need to be treated within ten minutes.
Some of the state’s busiest hospitals saw significant increases in the proportion of T2 emergency patients being treated within ten minutes when compared to the same quarter the previous year:
  • Bankstown Hospital – increasing by half (from 31.6 per cent to 47.4 per cent)
  • Blacktown Hospital – increasing by over a half (from 22.4 per cent to 35.2 per cent)
  • Campbelltown Hospital – more than doubling (from 11.8 per cent to 30.1 per cent)
  • Liverpool Hospital – almost doubling (from 33.6 per cent to 61.9 per cent)
It is particularly noteworthy given the July-September quarter is generally regarded as the busiest of the year, as winter illnesses circulate the community.

The NSW Government stated this improvement is part of the Minns Labor Government’s broader work to rebuild essential health services, by recruiting more health workers, delivering more  beds, expanding urgent care options, and fixing the problems too long ignored.

Improvements in ED performance come as the number of semi-urgent and non-urgent presentations to EDs have decreased by almost 20,000 in the July-September 2025 quarter compared to the same quarter the previous year.

In addition, half a million people called Healthdirect in the year to September 2025 – almost 55 per cent of these or 222,000 were referred to an alternative pathway to an emergency department, which includes GPs, virtual care, urgent care or allied health. This is a direct result of the Minns Labor Government investing into more pathways to care outside the ED through Healthdirect and the expansion of urgent and virtual care.

The Bureau of Health Information also released its survey results for the patients’ experiences in emergency departments in 2024-25. Around one in 10 patients (11%) said they thought their condition ‘definitely’ could have been treated by a GP or other health professional. The most common reasons for not seeing a GP or health professional included that the service was closed or they couldn’t get an appointment within a reasonable time.

The ED performance improvements are a result of over half a billion dollars in major initiatives by the Minns Labor Government to relieve pressure on our hospitals, including:
  • Completing the rollout of nurse safe staffing ratios at 18 hospital EDs and recruiting for nurse safe staffing ratios at a further 28 hospital EDs;
  • Expanding virtual care across the entire state;
  • Establishing more short stay units and expanding hospital in the home; and
  • Freeing up more GPs by empowering pharmacists to treat less complex conditions.
The Minns Labor Government stated it  is getting on with the job of delivering the hospitals the community needs and deserves, after the Liberals failed to build Rouse Hill and Bankstown hospitals; and failed to deliver enough beds for Blacktown and Mount Druitt.

Commonwealth bed block surges 
The number of patients exceeding their estimated date of discharge in NSW public hospitals because they are waiting to access a Commonwealth aged care or National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) placement increased from 747 to 1,151 in the year to 30 September 2025.

The number of these patients increased by 5.6 per cent in the September quarter alone.
The biggest yearly increases have occurred at some of the state’s largest hospitals:
  • Westmead – from 33 to 60
  • Wyong – from 28 to 48
  • Campbelltown – from 26 to 42
  • Calvary Mater – from 6 to 42
  • Nepean – from 25 to 41
  • Gosford – from 12 to 39
  • St George – from 5 to 30
  • Blacktown – from 7 to 18
  • Shoalhaven – from 6 to 16
  • Wollongong – from 5 to 14
Minister for Health Ryan Park said on 10 December 2025:
'“Commonwealth bed block has surged in NSW hospitals by over 50 per cent in just a single year, and this is simply not sustainable. 

“Commonwealth bed block has serious consequences for our state hospitals – from wards, to surgeries that can’t be conducted, to people waiting for beds in the ED. Imagine if Westmead and Mount Druitt hospitals were ripped out from our health system, that’s what Commonwealth bed block is doing to NSW right now.

“I want to thank our health workers for delivering another yearly improvement in ED T2 emergency treatment time performance.
“This is a result of fewer people presenting with semi-urgent and non-urgent conditions, thanks to people contacting Healthdirect and receiving treatment through virtual and urgent care.

“I do want to reiterate, if you have less urgent conditions, you can expect longer wait times, and you can spare yourself a wait in an ED by phoning Healthdirect on 1800 022 222, where you can speak to a registered nurse who will advise you of your pathways to care outside of the hospital.

“No one will forget that the Liberals decimated the health system by planning to sack over 1,100 nurses; refusing to implement safe staffing ratios in EDs; failing to build Rouse Hill and Bankstown Hospital; failing to deliver enough beds for Blacktown and Mount Druitt; and planning to privatise six acute public hospitals across the state.”

Government to clean up the Liberals’ Blacktown Hospital beds failure, a year ahead of schedule

On 20 January 2026 the Minns Labor Government stated it is one step closer to cleaning up the Liberals' failure to build Blacktown Hospital with enough beds, with a builder appointed to deliver the additional beds and services in late 2026, a year ahead of schedule.

As part of the $120 million investment to further upgrade Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals, the project will provide expanded and contemporary acute inpatient capacity with a total of 60 additional beds across both Hospitals, relieving pressure and improving patient flow to support the hardworking hospital staff. 

Bringing forward the delivery of these additional beds is part of the Minns Labor Government's commitment to better meeting the healthcare needs of the growing western Sydney community, while working closely with the Commonwealth to address growing bed block caused by aged care and NDIS patients stuck in public hospitals across NSW.

Building contractor, Icon has been awarded the contract following a competitive tender process and work is set to begin in the coming weeks. The 30 new beds will be added across existing wards within expansion zones at Blacktown Hospital.       

Blacktown's Emergency Department sees more than 64,000 patients each year, with emergency (triage category 2) patient presentations having doubled since 2015. 

The bed expansion project at Blacktown Hospital will include new patient rooms, along with expanded clinical and non-clinical support service spaces. 

Construction will be carried out in stages to minimise disruption, with hospital services remaining operational throughout the redevelopment.          

A planning application was also lodged in late 2025 for additional beds at Mount Druitt Hospital. This project will increase medical and surgical capacity.

The Minns Labor Government is investing in more staff, more hospitals and more beds with $1.3 billion of additional funding in the 2025-26 budget to support the delivery of health facilities and services across Western Sydney including:

an additional $700 million for the new Bankstown Hospital, increasing the total investment in the new hospital to $2 billion
a new Rouse Hill Hospital which will feature an emergency department as well as birthing suites;
$492 million for a Statewide Pathology Hub on the Westmead campus;
A $40.1 million boost to the new Paediatric Services Building at Westmead in partnership with the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation.
$22.3 million to establish a new paediatric hospice at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.
Other projects in the western Sydney region include upgrades at Nepean, Liverpool, Canterbury, Fairfield, Camden and Campbelltown hospitals and the new Integrated Mental Health Complex at Westmead.

The NSW Government stated ''We are working to reverse the health failures of the NSW Liberals who:
  • Failed to build enough beds for Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals;
  • Promised to build Rouse Hill Hospital at three elections, and failed;
  • Failed to select a site for a new Bankstown Hospital; and
  • Planned to privatise six acute public hospitals across NSW.''
Commonwealth b​​ed block
''The additional beds for Blacktown Hospital come at a time when NSW grapples with a sharp increase in the number of patients unable to be safely discharged because they are waiting to access a Commonwealth aged care or National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) placement.

At Blacktown Hospital, this number has almost tripled in the year to October 2025, from 7 to 18 patients.

The NSW Government is working constructively with the Commonwealth Government to settle on a new National Health Reform Agreement to help address these challenges.''

Minister for Health Ryan Park stated on January 20 2026:

“We're cleaning up yet another Liberal hospital failure by delivering the additional beds for Blacktown Hospital that western Sydney needs and deserves – and we're going to deliver it faster than planned.

“The people of western Sydney are right to be sceptical after the Liberals failed to build Rouse Hill or a new Bankstown Hospital.

“Labor is focused on delivering more hospitals and more beds, more quickly to lower wait times and better meet the health needs of the community – and we will do it without privatisation.

“With rates of bed block from NDIS and aged care patients at Blacktown Hospital more than doubling in 2025, these new beds will play a vital role in helping improve patient flow and relieving pressure on our emergency departments.

“We are having constructive conversations with the Federal Government and hopefully we can work through this with in an updated agreement soon."

Member for Blacktown, Stephen Bali said:
“There's more work to do but getting these new beds online ahead of schedule will relieve pressure and improve the patient experience after the Liberals left Blacktown Hospital in disarray."

Member for Mount Druitt, Edmond Atalla stated:
“I am delighted that the Minns Labor government has been able to deliver these additional beds earlier than planned. With delays in NDIS and aged care placements increasing bed block at Blacktown Hospital this past year, these extra beds are absolutely crucial and will result in improved patient flow and will relieve pressure on our emergency department. Delivering them early will make a real difference for patients, families and staff across western Sydney."​

New reports provide insights on emergency department demand and patients’ experiences of care

Released: 10 December 2025
The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has released two reports:
  • Results from the Emergency Department Patient Survey 2024–25, reflecting the experiences of more than 23,000 patients who attended one of 78 emergency departments (EDs) in NSW public hospitals from July 2024 to June 2025.
  • Healthcare Quarterly, July to September 2025 – tracking activity and performance for public hospital and ambulance services in NSW.
Emergency Department Patient Survey 2024–25
The majority of patients were positive about the care they received in NSW EDs – almost nine in 10 (87%) said, overall, the care they received was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

More than one-quarter of patients (28%) said they ‘definitely’ or ‘to some extent’ thought their condition could have been treated by a GP or other health professional. The most frequent reasons given for not going to a GP or other health professional were that the service was closed (50%) or they couldn’t get an appointment within a reasonable time (35%).

BHI also analysed issues related to patients returning to the ED within 48 hours of discharge. BHI A/Chief Executive Hilary Rowell said: “Our analysis shows that patients who are better informed when they leave are less likely to come back to the ED.”
Patients were less likely to return to an ED within 48 hours if they said:
  • they did not receive conflicting information about their condition or treatment from the health professionals (47% less likely than those who did)
  • they received the ‘right amount’ of information about their condition or treatment during their ED visit (41% less likely than those who did not)
  • they were ‘definitely’ given enough information about how to manage their care at home (37% less likely than those who were not).
Healthcare Quarterly, July to September 2025
The number of ED presentations in the non-urgent (triage 5) category was the lowest since BHI began reporting in 2010. However, presentations in the highest priority triage categories (1, 2 and 3) were the highest since 2010.

More patients started treatment on time in EDs – 64.2% of all patients started on time, up 2.8 percentage points compared with the same quarter a year earlier. However, the median time from arrival to leaving the ED was 3 hours and 54 minutes, the longest since 2010.

There were 62,829 elective surgeries performed – up 6.8% (up 4,017) from the same quarter a year earlier, and the number of patients on the overall waiting list at the end of September 2025 was down 4.5% (down 4,476) compared with the same time a year earlier. The number of patients who had waited longer than clinically recommended at the end of September 2025 (4,164) increased compared with the end of June 2025 but was down 51.5% (down 4,424) from the end of March 2025.


Northern Beaches Hospital: Jul-September 2025 from BHI Report


NBH - 2025 Reports:

Previously (a Selection of - more past reports on this are listed in past features page)