Report
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Demolition of Mona Vale Hospital’s main building should cease after asbestos removal is completed, a Level 3 Emergency department should be restored and 99 year leases should not be entered into for the site are among the Parliamentary Enquiry’s 23 recommendations.
The Enquiry into the Operation and Management of Northern Beaches Hospital, chaired by Hon. Greg Donnelly, MLC, found that “the public private partnership model underpinning the Northern Beaches Hospital, resulting in public patient services being delivered in an otherwise private hospital, has the potential to negatively affect people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds residing in the catchment.”
The committee recommended that the government not enter into further public/private hospital partnerships.
The Upper House enquiry began in August 2019. Three public hearings were held and 236 submissions received, including one from Save Mona Vale Hospital. It looked at standards of service, staffing and public private partnership arrangements, as well as the impact on the community, including Mona Vale Hospital.
The report also recommended that previously available bulk-billed public out patient clinics are re-instated. Unexpected out of pocket expenses have been a big issue for the community with some patients reporting they have been unable to access clinics as they could not afford them. Several recommendations related to building community trust in NBH.
Read the report here and click on Reports and Government Responses
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The report by the Parliamentary enquiry “has vindicated our community campaign”, said Parry Thomas, Save Mona Vale Hospital Committee Chair. “The Save Mona Vale Hospital evidence was treated with respect and given weight.”
“ (NSW Minister for Health) Brad Hazzard’s dismissal of the report flies in the face of evidence given by doctors, nurses, paramedics and other members of the community.”
“The NSW Upper House is a chamber of Parliament, elected by the people of NSW, and he should not take its findings lightly.”
Mr Thomas said the report was notable for its unanimous support by the inquiry committee, including two Nationals and a Liberal MLC. “There was no dissenting report from the Coalition members,” said Mr Thomas.
The Save Mona Vale Hospital Committee was invited to make a submission and Mr Parry gave evidence to the enquiry, along with doctors, nurses, paramedics, representatives from Healthscope, and NSW Health and other community groups such as the Palm Beach and Whale Beach Association.
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Corona virus
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“The NSW Govt should seize chance to reopen Mona Vale Emergency for corona virus,” said Save Mona Vale Hospital Committee Chair, Parry Thomas. “Sydney no longer has an infectious diseases hospital so that the government now has a unique opportunity to set up an isolation unit at Mona Vale.”
Hospitals in Australia operate close to capacity and would struggle to cope with a major coronavirus outbreak. NSW Health’s pandemic plan includes using stadiums for mass quarantine accommodation and schools, hotels and convention centres to accommodate patients if hospitals are overwhelmed.
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“It’s very lucky they haven’t pulled it down,” said Mr Thomas. “It’s a logical step as we have an empty hospital – it wouldn’t take a huge amount of time, money or effort to bring it back on line as an acute hospital.
“If China can build two hospitals in two weeks from scratch, surely we can bring Mona Vale back on line in time to provide acute beds in a potential pandemic.”
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Support The Report Findings
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The Report vindicated our campaign and called “for the return of the emergency department at Mona Vale Hospital”.
The Report expressed concern about the private/public model and stated that there should be no more public/private partnerships for public hospitals in NSW.
"The high standards and values of the public hospital system must prevail in this private sector arrangement and the public patient must never have to accept second best.”
Sadly, this is not the case. A public patient, referred for a colonoscopy in April 2019, had to wait for the colonoscopy until the last week of February 2020. This is unacceptable and could have proved life threatening. At Mona Vale Public Hospital, the delay for surgery for a public patient had usually been about four weeks for a colonoscopy.
There is genuine concern in the community about the standard of care afforded to public patients at Northern Beaches Hospital, especially in light of the current coronavirus crisis.
Mr Hazzard claimed that the” hospital is doing a first-class job”. However, a private patient currently in NBH remarked that there seems to be a staffing revolving door, with each shift having a different nurse, unfamiliar with the patient's case history.
Mr Hazard said on the day the report was released and before he would have had time to read the 216 page report, that he did not agree with the findings. He called it 'political' despite the fact that three coalition representatives were on the committee.
Another patient recently had a close call, again with staff unfamiliar with her case history. Despite having a pace maker and having verbally notified the staff, the patient was scheduled for an MRI. It would appear that her patient record was incomplete and only a final verbal check by the MRI staff member before she was placed in the machine, averted what could have been a serious health incident.
Plans to demolish Mona Vale Public Hospital must be cancelled.
The Berejiklian Government now has a unique opportunity to provide a public hospital specifically dedicated to the treatment of coronavirus patients.
Strategies to contain coronavirus are crucial.
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Coronavirus is spreading across NSW and Sydney.
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NSW public hospital beds are at capacity.
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Public hospital Emergency departments are overflowing with anxious patients.
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Mona Vale Hospital stands empty.
The Morrison government has confirmed the Commonwealth will work with state governments to meet the public health cost of coronavirus treatment and containment.
Northern Beaches Hospital is not a public hospital.
It is a private hospital required to treat public patients.
As the Report noted, this ‘has the potential to negatively affect people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds".
Can we have confidence in a private hospital, which has a "responsibility to maximise returns to its shareholders"?
Coronavirus means that all public hospitals are under pressure.
We need Mona Vale Public Hospital even more now.
The Berejiklian Government, with federal government support, must reopen the emergency department and other acute services at Mona Vale Public Hospital to provide capacity to care for COVID 19 patients.
Why are the politicians not listening?
Is politics more important that the health of the people of NSW, Sydney, Northern Beaches?
How can you help?
Tell the politicians that we need acute services at Mona Vale Public Hospital reopened. Mona Vale Public Hospital can play a valuable role in the fight to contain coronavirus.
Contact:
The Premier, Gladys Berejiklian
https://www.nsw.gov.au/contact-us/contact-the-premier/
Ph 8574 5000 GPO Box 5341, Sydney, NSW 2000
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt
Minister.Hunt@health.gov.au Ph 6277 7220
House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard
https://www.nsw.gov.au/your-government/ministers/minister-for-health-and-medical-research/ Ph 8574 6000
GP0 Box 5341, Sydney NSW 2001
Member for Mackellar, Jason Falinski
Jason.Falinski.MP@aph.gov.au Ph 8484 0300
1/238 Pittwater Road, Narrabeen NSW 2101
Member for Warringah, Zali Steggall
Zali.Steggall.MP@aph.gov.au Ph 9977 6411
PO Box 450, Manly, NSW, 2095
Member for Pittwater, Rob Stokes
pittwater@parliament.nsw.gov.au Ph 9999 3599
1725 Pittwater Road, Mona Vale 2103
Please forward this message to your family and friends.
The government must act. It is unforgivable that they refuse to listen when there is the potential to provide Sydney with an additional hospital within a relatively short time.
Please also consider donating some money to the campaign to save Mona Vale Hospital. As you know we are all volunteers and operate on a shoestring, relying on the generosity of supporters.