Gillian Geraghty – Health Infrastructure, Jude Constable – A/Chief Executive SNSWHD, Mark Harrison – A/Board Chair SNSWLHD, Lisa Kennedy – Eurobodalla Health Service Manager. Photo: Ian Campbell
Eurobodalla locals have been asked to be patient as health planners and project managers work on getting the region’s new hospital “right”.
Pointing to $180 million worth of infrastructure works already underway at Goulburn, Cooma, and Yass hospitals, executives from Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) worked to reassure a crowd of around 80 people at the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club that their health needs are being addressed.
The Clinical Services Plan (CSP) described as “the bedrock of the new hospital” by Gillian Geraghty from Health Infrastructure is currently awaiting approval by the NSW Health Minister.
Ms Geraghty says the plan is expected to be finalised in the new year at which point a number of expert consultative committees will be formed to add further detail to the hospital design.
Asked about a possible location for the one new hospital; “we haven’t even started that process yet,” Ms Geraghty says. “And we can’t start until the CSP is approved.”
The $150 million facility will replace the aging Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals.
NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian and Member for Bega, Andrew Constance committed the government to a start on construction before 2023 – within this term of government.
But that was over 12 months ago and the sentiment at yesterday’s (November 14) SNSWLHD annual public meeting was that not much seems to have happened since.
Southern NSW Local Health District officials take questions from the floor at the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club. Photo: Ian Campbell.
Georgie Rowley from the One New Eurobodalla Hospital group presented the SNSWLHD Board with a petition of 2,000 signatures – people asking for a hurry-up on the project and an improvement in existing services during the years of planning and construction ahead.
“We ask that the Board directs the Minister of Health to provide immediate improvements to the emergency and critical care services and to commence the development of a Level Four hospital in the Eurobodalla in 2020,” she says.
In addressing the question, Acting Chief Executive Jude Constable pointed to work that until now hasn’t been detailed publically.
“We are looking to expand the physical spaces in ED at Moruya particularly to be able to treat more patients,” Ms Constable says.
“We have engaged an architect to have a look at Moruya and how we might make adjustments to that site to give us some additional spaces to care for more patients in the interim.”
Ms Constable also pointed to the possible consolidation of the close observation unit to Moruya Hospital, “to be able to provide a critical mass of medical input” for sicker patients.
“We can’t wait five years for that.”
Ms Constable says those proposals will be presented for funding consideration to the Health Minister in the near future.
“We have heard these concerns from the community, we really want to make sure we have the money for that work so that we can provide safe care and not make it worse for staff who are already working in quiet constrained physical environments.”
SNSWLHD committed to providing more regular updates on the work ahead to a community clearly engaged and keen to see the political commitments made so far come good.
Ian Campbell acted as an independent moderator of the audience Q&A session at the public meeting.
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