No public hospital for Forster, no increase in beds at Manning Base Hospital and no cardiac catheter lab for the district.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
These are things that are missing in the Lower Mid North Coast Clinical Services Plan (the plan), says Eddie Wood, president of the Manning Great Lakes Community Health Action Group.
Although the plan, completed around July 2021, was not released to the public, Mr Wood has obtained a copy.
Mr Wood said the plan confirmed what the Great Lakes Advocate/Manning River Times had reported in April 2022 - there is no plan for a public hospital in Forster. Instead, there is a proposal for an urgent care centre, staffed by a nurse practitioner with assistance from an on-call GP who would assess and manage patients, prescribe medications, order diagnostic investigations and directly refer patients to other healthcare professionals.
However, in a statement provided to the Manning River Times in response to a question to confirm this was the case, HNELHD said: "The plan identified the provision of an urgent care centre for Forster-Tuncurry. The District, in collaboration with Health Infrastructure, is working towards fulfilling the NSW government's commitment for the provision of a public hospital in the Forster-Tuncurry locality."
Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead's office also provided a statement. ""The Clinical Services Plan noted that an urgent care centre has been proposed for the Forster Tuncurry region. That is far less than what I have promised, and what the government has committed to. It is positive that the NSW government has committed to delivering more than what has been recommended within the plan. As such, earlier this year, it was announced that $20 million has been committed to the early planning stages of a public hospital in Forster."
Increase in beds at Manning Base Hospital
Mr Wood said there was no provision in the plan for an increase in beds at Manning Base Hospital.
The Manning River Times asked HNELD how many beds in wards Manning Base Hospital has, and how many beds per 1000 population there were, and did not receive a direct answer.
However, in the statement provided to the Times HNELHD contradicted Mr Wood's claim saying the plan did propose an increase in beds - "including in medical and cardiac services, intensive care unit and operation theatres - to cater to future demand".
The Australian Medical Association Hospital Report Card 2022 showed that in 2019-20 public hospitals had an average of 2.47 beds per 1000 population.
"The availability of hospital beds for the people most likely to need admission is far worse (than the previous reporting period)," the report said.
Mr Wood said there were 130 24-hour beds at Manning Base Hospital (the Manning River Times has not been unable to confirm this), far less than the average of public hospitals.
"We've got ambulances building up at the outside the emergency department. We have two paramedics on our committee. There's not enough beds. People in corridors. It's shocking, from my perspective," Mr Wood said.
"There's no mention in the next stage of the (hospital) development of how many beds there are going to be. Our committee has asked how many beds will there be?"
Cardiac catheter lab
Mr Wood is also dismayed there is no provision for a cardiac catheter lab for the Manning Great Lakes.
"There is talk of a diagnostic cardiac cath lab at Mayo Hospital, which is pleasing. However it means that if a person requires a stent they have to then travel to Newcastle or Port Macquarie for a second procedure for this to be performed," Mr Wood said,
Given that the Lyne electorate was reported as having the worst rate of hospitalisation for coronary artery disease of all the federal electorates in Australia in the Heart of Inequality study by Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University in 2017, Mr Wood describes the lack of provision for a catheter lab as an "absolute disaster".
It's an absolute disgrace that we are classed as the worst.
- Eddie Wood, president Manning Great Lakes Community Health Action Group
"It's an absolute disgrace that we are classed as the worst," Mr Wood said.
In regard to cardiac services in our region HNELHD said the plan "reiterates that the current service model is the safest and most appropriate model for cardiology services in the Manning region.
"In 2018, the (health district) commissioned an independent, external review of cardiac services at Manning hospital. The review identified the safest and most appropriate pathway for cardiac patients is transfer to either John Hunter Hospital or Port Macquarie Base Hospital, depending on the level of care and support required," the HNELHD statement to the Times said.
Mr Wood was also concerned there was nothing in the plan for expansion of staffing, however HNELHD said the purpose of the plan was to "outline what clinical services the community will potentially require in future, not how they will be staffed."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
Did you know? Manning River Times online subscribers not only have 24/7 access to local and national news, sport, what's on and entertainment - they also have access to our print editions in digital format, with all the advertisements and classifieds at their fingertips.