2.34pm Thursday 24 November 2011 - Offered to this site by Jon Gaul.

Towards a Health Productivity Reform Agenda for Australia

Julie Novak, Research Fellow, Institute of Public Affairs
Asher Judah, Research Fellow, Institute of Public Affairs

Executive Summary

• Health is forecast to be one of the biggest sectors of the Australian economy over the next few decades, but the debate over health policy ignores any concept of “productivity”.
  
• Productivity can be generally defined as the quantity of goods or services produced per unit of input, and is an important indicator of the extent to which scarce resources are being efficiently applied in the production process.
  
• There are numerous difficulties in accurately estimating productivity trends in the health care sector; however the available evidence suggests that the productivity performance of health care providers generally lags that of other industries.
  
• Within this there is some indirect evidence that government owned and managed providers of health care services, such as public hospitals, are not performing as efficiency as their private sector peers.
  
• A number of institutional and policy obstacles constrain the capacity of health care operators to improve upon their productivity performance.
  

  - The disconnection between financing and use of publicly provided health care services obscures the delivery of productivity gains.
  - The growth in health bureaucracies effectively displaces additional outputs in favour of extra labour inputs, and generates internal red tape stymieing efficient services delivery.
  - Private health sector operates are burdened by overregulation, impeding their capacity to deliver additional productivity improvements.
  - The misplaced belief that health care is ‘special,’ in the sense of being immune to the application of market forces, diverts attention away from pursuing productivity gains.
  

• The key means by which to secure an improved productivity performance in health is through reducing restraints upon competition, encouraging providers to generate more output with fewer inputs and benefiting health care consumers in the process.
  
• A range of interrelated reform principles are cited as the way to improve productivity within the health care system, including: improving the responsiveness of providers to consumer demands; encouraging greater differentiation in health care provision; reducing regulatory impediments to health care services provision; alleviating health sector workforce rigidities; and greater public transparency of operations to consumers and taxpayers.
  
• Implementation of the productivity reform principles outlined in this paper should deliver gains to health sector productivity well in excess of previous Productivity Commission estimates of a five per cent gain from hospitals reform alone.

9.31am 23 November 2011 - Forbes Advocate - Michael Bushell

Concern with health model - (NSW Libs prepare to destroy Forbes maternity service?)

Forbes Shire Council has raised concerns about elements of a proposed shared health service in Forbes and Parkes, after learning that the Lachlan Health Service would move surgical births to Parkes.

Councillors expressed concern with the proposed Lachlan Health Service Model of Care and Services at Thursday’s monthly meeting, after learning some key services would be moved between the two towns once the redevelopment of both hospitals was complete.

Councillors were recently provided with a draft document outlining the availability at the Forbes and Parkes campuses of emergency care, inpatient services, surgery, maternity, support services, ambulatory or outpatient services and community health.

Of particular concern was that elective and emergency caesarean section births would not be available at Forbes, only in Parkes.

Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said complete maternity services should be provided at both campuses of the combined Lachlan Health.

“The failure to have elective and emergency caesarean births would be to the detriment of our maternity service and we were promised a full maternity service,” Cr Miller said yesterday.

“I’ve been in regular consultation with our doctors and they are also not prepared to accept this on any terms,” she said.

Cr Miller said the move of anything other than normal risk birthing from either town would be the thin end of the wedge for maternity services.

She said first time mothers or those deemed likely to have a risky birth would be required to travel to Parkes and would then be more likely to seek the services of their first obstetrician for the birth of subsequent children.

“It would take a bit of time… but those first time mothers would be more likely to continue with that doctor and eventually our numbers would decline. Eventually it would go to the extent that [Western NSW Health] would say ‘you don’t need a maternity service anymore’.”

Cr Miller said recent statistics indicated 160 births were performed at Forbes Hospital in the last financial year, an average of three per week.

“We do want services that are complimentary in Forbes and Parkes but our birth rates are on the climb, they are not decling,” she said.

Councillors also had doubts on Thursday about the transfer of chemotherapy services from Parkes to Forbes, given that Parkes Hospital has only started offering regular cancer treatment in the last 12 months.

NSW Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner, recently visited both hospitals to announce that design tenders were being sought for the $42.5 million redevelopment of Parkes and $25m refurbishment of Forbes Hospital.

Cr Miller said the details of the complimentary health services in the proposed Lachlan Health Service Model amounted to a “broken promise” by the new State Government.

She said Forbes Shire Council felt it had the support of local doctors and health staff in fighting for full maternity services in Forbes.

A resolution was passed at Thursday’s council meeting to lobby the NSW Government for full maternity services in Forbes, including elective and emergency caesarean sections and pathology in the proposed hospital refurbishment.

Cr Miller said she had handed a letter outlining the concerns to the Minister for Health at yesterday’s Country Mayors meeting in Sydney.

Source

4.04pm Tuesday 01 November 2011 - BDN

New hospital one step closer

The construction of the $170million Bega Valley Health Service has moved another step closer with the appointment of a lead consultant team, according to the Minister for Health Jillian Skinner and Member for Bega Andrew Constance.

Johnstaff Projects has been appointed as project manager and BVN Architects will design the building.

Rider Levett Bucknall has been appointed as cost manager.

The NSW Government has contributed $10 million towards the Bega Valley Health Service, while the Federal Government has contributed $160 million from its Health and Hospital Fund.

Ms Skinner said the re-development would significantly boost health services in the region.

“The facility will provide better health services to help achieve improved health outcomes for residents across rural and remote communities on the South Coast and Cooma-Monaro area,” she said.

“The mental health services in particular will address the significant need in mental health inpatient services in the region.”

The new hospital facility will provide improved health services including:

• An expanded Emergency Department.
  
• More critical care beds including Intensive Care Unit and Critical Care Unit.
  
• Regional orthopaedic services.
  
• Expanded surgical services with three operating theatres.
  
• New and expanded acute medical, maternity, paediatrics, rehabilitation, palliative care services.
• Drug and alcohol services.
  
• An inpatient sub-acute care unit to address the needs of an ageing population and post orthopaedic care requirements.
  
• A regional inpatient mental health service with 20 mental health beds providing adult acute admission and rehabilitation services and specialist older people’s mental health services.
  
• A range of clinical support services including medical imaging, pharmacy and pathology with the necessary communication, medical record, information technology and Telehealth infrastructure to support 21st century health care across rural locations.
  
• Teaching and training in medicine, nursing and allied health care.
  

Mr Constance said it was positive that planning for this important project was underway.

“A detailed design will be undertaken in consultation with clinicians and other health staff and the facility will be on a new site in Bega which the Ministry of Health is currently acquiring,” he said.

“I look forward to following the project’s progress to ensure the local community will benefit from this significant redevelopment as soon as possible.”

Construction is expected to start in mid-2013 and to be completed in early-2016.

Source

5.59pm Wednesday 14 September 2011 - SMH - Amy Corderoy

Skinner accused of hospitals hypocrisy

The NSW Health Minister, Jillian Skinner, has been accused of abandoning her promise to depoliticise the running of hospitals and appoint local clinicians to their boards.

Mrs Skinner replaced Labor-appointed hospital boards state-wide this year, a move some doctors worried was politically motivated.

During that process, she removed the only local doctor from the Tweed area on the Northern NSW Local Health District Board, replacing him with two members who have been heavily involved with the National Party.

These were Sue Page Mitchell, a former federal National Party candidate in the 2007 state election and distinguished GP; and Malcolm Marshall, the chairman of the Lismore National Party electorate council.

Dr Ian McPhee, an anaesthetist and chairman of the Tweed Hospital's medical staff council, said this left only two, non-medical, Tweed representatives on a board of 10. But the Tweed Hospital was responsible for 41 per cent of hospital admissions, 40 per cent of emergency department attendances and 39 per cent of surgical procedures in the Northern NSW health district in the 2010 to 2011 financial year, he said.

"As a clinical community and on behalf of our constituency of patients … we are furious," he said. He and fellow clinicians asked for a Tweed doctor to be put on the board, and Mrs Skinner agreed. But after being provided a list of candidates, her office would not commit to when the appointment would happen, he said.

Mrs Skinner said she would not walk away from her promise.

"The delay ... is to ensure we properly process the appointment of the clinician most able to contribute to the greatly enhanced responsibilities of boards," she said.

She said Dr Page Mitchell and Mr Marshall provided extra capacity to the board as she was a former head of the Rural Doctors Association and he was a member of a former local health board.

Source

6.14 pm Sunday 4 September 2011 - NineMSN

NSW Health to get 900 extra nurses

Nine hundred new nurses will be pumped into the NSW health system as part of an "unprecedented spend" in the state budget, the government says.

In an announcement prior to the unveiling of the state budget on Tuesday, NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said that $84 million will be set aside to increase nurse numbers in 2011 to 2012.

This is on top of an unprecedented spend on capital works for the state hospitals, Ms Skinner said.

In 2011 to 2012, $1082 million will be set aside for the health capital works program which will include an expansion of Campbelltown Hospital as well as an expansion of services at Royal North Shore Hospital and includes $343 million on new works.

"We are rebuilding and expanding NSW hospitals so we can provide more beds to treat more patients," Ms Skinner told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.

Our doctors and nurses deserve world class infrastructure so they can provide timely, quality health care for patients," she said.

"This is all about building the capacities of our hospitals so we can open more beds and employ more nurses and that's how you increase the front line services that we promised before the last election.

"I think it's the right way to spend your money...it is prioritising what matters to people."

NSW Treasurer Mike Baird said the capital works spending was part of an infrastructure spend across the state in the new budget.

"In the budget this week there will be a significant increase in infrastructure spending across the state, particularly in health," Mr Baird told reporters.

He said further details will be released on Tuesday.

Source

6.11pm Saturday 27 August 2011 – Manly Daily

Welcoming reform of a sick system

The major overhaul of the state’s public health system has been welcomed by local health professionals who hope the changes result in less red tape and better services for the northern beaches.

Yesterday Health Minister Jillian Skinner announced a shake-up of NSW Health, which will see 150 jobs slashed and the saving of $80 million to be transferred to frontline hospital services.

The overhaul will abolish a layer of middle management who oversee local health districts such as the Northern Sydney LHD, which includes Manly and Mona Vale hospitals.

Mrs Skinner said the Department of Health would become the Ministry of Health and be reduced in size, giving LHDs greater control but also provide greater transparency and accountability.

Manly Hospital oncologist Dr Michael Copeman welcomed the announcement and said he hoped the shake-up resulted in the better provision of local services.

“We’re always hoping that there’s plenty of money to pay front line staff, those intimately involved in patient care, well,” Dr Copeman said.

“Any movement of money towards that is a good thing.”

Dr Copeman said the removal of a layer of management would result in more efficiency and less wasted effort and resources.

“I often travel overseas for work and it seems a lot of places do not have the bureaucracy we have here, yet their hospitals work well,” he said.

“I’m not sure why we need these other layers when other places around the world prove you can do without them.”
Pittwater state MP Rob Stokes said the changes would bring a real “sea shift”.

“Under the old cluster system, things affecting the Central Coast had to be factored in when considering the northern beaches,” he said.

“For my role, now I can go straight to the district so it cuts through a layer of red tape and paperwork.”

Source

6.08pm Saturday 27 August 2011 – Coffs Coast Advocate

Clusters out in health restructure

There is to be a major restructure of the health system which NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner hopes will ensure genuine local responsibility, local decision-making and accountability by local health districts, their boards and clinicians.

“It is about getting more administrators and managers onto the frontline to support our health workforce and deliver better patient care,” Mrs Skinner said.

Mrs Skinner says the restructure will remove a middle layer of management which will allow resources to be deployed to support frontline health care.

“The new structure will provide greater transparency and accountability, duplication of tasks will be stopped, and there will be greater clarity of roles and responsibilities,” she said.

The restructure includes the abolition of about 200 middle-layer management positions in what was formerly known as the ‘clusters’ and devolving most of the resources remaining in the clusters to the local health districts.

Clusters were established in 2010 by the former Labor Government and controlled the smaller local health districts.

Chairman of the Mid North Coast Local Health District Board, Warren Grimshaw, welcomed the minister’s press release.

“It confirms the minister’s desire to ensure the effective operation of local health services,” he said.

“The statement confirms the focus on boards for the delivery of health services for the Mid North Coast and with the appropriate accountabilities.”
Health Services Union NSW divisional secretary Gerard Hayes said the union did not support the abolition of the clusters.

“We will be seeking justification for any positions that are deleted,” he said.

Source

4.09pm Sunday 14 August 2011 - Sunday Telegraph

Maternity ward closures under review

Dozens of outback maternity units could be reopened under a plan to reverse 15 years of closures that left thousands of women without basic care.

Health Minister Jillian Skinner has ordered an investigation into the reopening of Bourke Hospital's maternity unit as early as this year and has asked local health authorities to look into reopening 30 others.

Since 1994, half the state's rural maternity wards have been shut down, forcing women to fly or drive up to 400km to give birth, many of them delivering their baby en route in the car, on a tarmac or in a plane.

Women have also been forced to relocate to other towns weeks before their due date to be close to a hospital with maternity services.

Ms Skinner said she would love to reopen maternity units shut by the previous government but she has placed the onus on local health district staff, midwives and doctors to submit a convincing proposal.

"I would love to reopen these 32 small maternity units Labor closed over the past 16 years ," she said.

"The bottom line is they can only be opened if there are sufficient skilled staff - that is, doctors and nurses to make sure mother and baby are OK."

The maternity unit in the northern NSW town of Bourke, which closed two years ago due to staff shortages, is undergoing a risk assessment with plans to reopen it before year's end.

"There are challenges to recruit a sufficient number of specialists to rural areas, including obstetricians," Ms Skinner said.

"We need to work at training the next generation."

She said Bourke was the only maternity ward being assessed but any proposal to reopen rural maternity wards would be investigated.

Other rural maternity wards to be targeted by the minister will be Ballina, Oberon, Cessnock, Pambula, Yass, Narromine and Walgett.

According to the Rural Doctors Association, 35 outback units across NSW have closed since 1994.

And the number of rural obstetricians has fallen by 50 per cent and anaesthetists by 30 per cent.

"We are in a rural birthing crisis that is only going to get worse as more doctors and midwives retire in the next five years," association NSW president Dr Tilak Dissanayake said.

"Patients have to drive or fly hundreds of kilometres to access basic care, and we are seeing more cases of women giving birth at the airport or in the car trying to get to the nearest hospital."

The closures have placed enormous pressure on the regional maternity units that remain open.

Dr Dissanayake said Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange and Mudgee hospitals were among those feeling the pinch.

Despite the pledge to reopen Bourke, residents are not convinced the government will deliver on its promise.

"We have been told many times before that Bourke will be reopened and it hasn't happened," Bourke Mayor Andrew Lewis said.

"The sooner this unit can be reopened, the better.

"Families are travelling to Dubbo, which is 400km away. It can be dangerous travelling so close to the birth. If the unit is not open at the end of the year, the council will be asking questions of the state government."

Source

5.37pm Thursday 4 August 2011 - The Land

Cabinet comes to the Illawarra and South Coast

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has chosen the Illawarra and South Coast as the next region to host a Community Cabinet meeting.

"The people of the Illawarra and South Coast put their faith in a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government and this is a strong message to those communities that we will continue to listen and deliver,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“On Monday 15 August 2011 my Cabinet and I will tour the region - and I encourage you to meet the Ministers who run your roads, schools and hospitals.

“The region is strongly represented in Cabinet by the Minister for Finance and Services and Minister for the Illawarra, Greg Pearce, the Minister for Ageing, and Minister for Disability Services and Bega MP Andrew Constance, and Minister for Family and Community Services, Minister for Women and Goulburn MP, Pru Goward.

“We will also be joined by local members Shelly Hancock (South Coast), Gareth Ward (Kiama) and Lee Evans (Heathcote) who have been strongly advocating for this meeting to be held in the Illawarra and South Coast.

“In addition to the Community Cabinet meeting, Ministers will hold pre-arranged meetings with stakeholder and community groups,” Mr O’Farrell said.

Mr Pearce today welcomed the move saying he has been working closely with local MPs to ensure the team delivers for the region.

“The NSW Government pledged to give the Illawarra and South Coast region a greater say in its future and it’s by collaborating that we can best provide the infrastructure and services you expect,” Mr Pearce said.

Mr Ward said he was delighted the meeting would be held in Kiama, giving the region’s communities another say in the decisions affecting them.

Source

Editor: What do we have to do to get the decision makers of this world to come a little bit further south? We are real people with real needs who cast real votes.

5.40pm Thursday 4 August 2011 - Authorised by Brian Loughnane for the Liberal Party of Australia

Labor’s health ‘reform’ – great for bureaucrats, not so healthy for patients

Julia Gillard announced yesterday that Labor’s long awaited agreement on health ‘reform’ had been completed.

This is the third time in 18 months Labor has claimed to have reached an “historic agreement” on health reform and, once again, Labor fails to deliver on its promises in health.

Key changes will not be implemented until at least 2014-15 – seven years after Labor promised to fix public hospitals or hold a referendum to take them over.

Yesterday’s announcement does nothing for patients, but it is great news for health bureaucrats.

Julia Gillard has simply given the states billions of dollars with no guarantees of better health outcomes for patients and has failed miserably to deliver any fundamental reform.

“Guarantees” on elective surgery waiting times and emergency department treatment times have become “targets”.

Previously promised private hospital treatment for overflow public hospital patients has been abandoned.

Penalties for poor performance have been dropped.

Rewards for improved service delivery have become upfront payments.

As Coalition Shadow Health Minister Peter Dutton said yesterday:

Julia Gillard has capitulated and given the states billions of dollars to get them to sign an agreement that this desperate Prime Minister needs to look like she is actually achieving something”

Read Peter Dutton’s media release shown below

5.40pm Thursday 4 August 2011 – Peter Dutton: Liberal Media Release

Agreement – but what ‘reform’

Four years after Kevin Rudd first promised health ‘reform’ as a priority for his Labor Government, Julia Gillard has finally managed to get the States to sign off on a deal.

For the third time in 18 months Labor has claimed that that deal is an “historic reform”.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Julia Gillard has an agreement, but does she have any real ‘reform’ in health?

Chairman of the Australian Healthcare Reform Alliance Professor John Dwyer summed it up this way to the ABC today: “It is a reform package in a financing/accounting sense rather than a system sense.”

So instead of the sweeping national reform they were promised, Australians have ended up with a deal on dollars.

“Julia Gillard has capitulated and given the States billions of dollars to get them to sign an agreement that this desperate Prime Minister needs to look like she is actually achieving something,’ Shadow Minister for Health Peter Dutton said today.

And while more money might be flowing to the states, there were no guarantees of better health outcomes for patients.

“All of this promised improvement in healthcare delivery is in the never-never,” Mr Dutton said.

“Labor will have to win a third election in 2013 to possibly put any real changes for patients into effect in 2014 – something Kevin Rudd had promised to do by mid 2009.”

“It will be beyond a fourth election victory before its touted funding reforms are fulfilled.”

“Does anyone really believe that this incompetent Government will ever actually deliver? Julia Gillard said 2011 would be her year of delivery, but the agreement unveiled today makes clear that her year of delivery in health is 2014 – at the earliest!”
Mr Dutton said all that Julia Gillard had produced today was reams of paperwork on National Health Reform and superfluous spin – just like Kevin Rudd.

“Her comment that - ‘any suggestion concessions have been made (to the States) since February is just not right’ – was ludicrous,” Mr Dutton said.
In the last few months -

Guarantees on elective surgery waiting times and ED treatment times have become targets

Promised private hospital treatment has disappeared

Penalties for poor performance have been dropped

Rewards have become upfront payments

States have become gatekeepers for the much hyped National Performance Authority 

Mr Dutton said Julia Gillard could not be believed. “Today she talks about more beds, more services, less waiting times – but we’ve heard it all before and know that it doesn’t get delivered.”

“Kevin Rudd claimed in 2008 that increased funding in health could support an additional 3,750 hospital beds in 2009-10 growing to 7,800 additional beds by 2012.

“The State of our Public Hospitals Report last year found there’d only been an increase of 11 – repeat 11 – beds across Australia.

“Then there was the $150 million elective surgery waiting list ‘blitz’ – but as newspaper after newspaper across Australia has reported – waiting lists and waiting times have increased.”

“Is it going to be any different this time around?”

The Shadow Minister said Ms Gillard had backflipped, backed down and traded off the Rudd proposals and her agreement was unrecognisable when compared to Labor’s promises.

“Kevin Rudd’s health reforms died on the way to COAG in February and were buried before this deal was finally signed,” Mr Dutton said.

Source

5.16pm Friday 07 April 2011 - Submitted by Danny Garcia on Fri, 05/06/2011 • Australia

Murrumbidgee Local Health Network Faced with Restructuring

As the federal health ministry is realigning the health district boards, there are also issues being raised about continued funding for hospitals in the Murrumbidgee Local Health Network.

Health Minister, Jillian Skinner passed an amendment to the Health Services Act that saw 15 NSW Health Networks turn into Health Districts and

Network Governing Councils turn into Health District Boards. Prior to the restructuring, health officials that were appointed under the old Labor government were nervous to lose their jobs. Minister Skinner said that the restructuring will not include staff decisions and that board members would not have to reapply for posts.

The new government had branded NSW health districts too big before. Still, the Murrumbidgee district is considered to be reasonable in size. "If there is a need [for a smaller district] Mrs. Skinner will consider that and consult with the community", said a spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the local health boards are also demanding that the health ministry continues funding for the district’s central Wagga Base Hospital.

Health official Lynda Summer was confident that the government would include the hospital in the budget it is releasing on Tuesday.

“It's clearly on every measure a critical piece of infrastructure for the region", Summer said.

Source

5.23pm Friday 06 April 2011 - Daily Advertiser - Ken Grimson

Murrumbidgee Local Health Network members to keep their jobs

Members of the Murrumbidgee Local Health Network have kept their jobs for now under changes introduced to State Parliament yesterday, but for how long is another question.

And there are no immediate plans to shrink the physical size of districts, once branded "huge" by the new government.

The Minister for Health Jillian Skinner introduced amendments to the Health Services Act that turns the 15 health networks across NSW into health districts and transforms network governing councils into health district boards.

Mrs Skinner said the reforms would re-engage clinicians and give patients and the wider communities a voice in decision making.

Before the announcement there was speculation the government would use the reform to dump governing council members appointed last year by the Labor government ousted in March.

Read more

Editor: Will this be the case with all LHNs?

5.00pm Thursday 05 May 2011 - ABC News

Promise to cut red tape in NSW hospitals

The New South Wales Coalition has begun its shake-up of hospital bureaucracy, with a promise to remove inefficiencies it says are a legacy of the previous Labor government.

State Health Minister Jillian Skinner introduced and immediately began debating her bill to replace local health networks with district health boards.

Much of her speech focused on how Labor ran the state's hospitals over the past 16 years.

"Over-centralisation, added layers of bureaucracy and red tape, and remote decision making," Ms Skinner said.

Opposition health spokesman Andrew McDonald says the ALP would not oppose the changes, but doubts they will lift hospital standards.

"It matter less how you run them, than whether you staff or fund them properly," he said.

Dr McDonald also says the Government is ramming the legislation through Parliament without proper consultation.

Greens MP John Kaye says he is concerned the changes would be used to stack hospital boards.

But Ms Skinner says appointments will be made purely on merit.

Source

3.35pm Thursday 05 May 2011 - ABC News

MP: Regional hospital depends on Fed funding

The State Government says it is waiting on a financial commitment to the Bega Valley Regional Hospital on the New South Wales far south coast in next week's Federal Budget.

A green-field site south of Bega has been chosen for the long-awaited facility, which was originally expected to be completed this year.

The Member for Bega, Andrew Constance, promised 10-million dollars towards the hospital during the recent election campaign.

But he says the future of the project depends on the Commonwealth.

"We await the Federal Budget, and of course, we're expecting a Federal funding commitment in the order of $140m-$150m to enable the commencement of the facility," Mr Constance said.

"The community is rightfully expecting that funding."

Source

2.16pm Wednesday 20 April 2011 - Goulburn Post - Leigh Bottrell

Health’s $9m shortfall

Despite the Southern NSW Local Health Network’s $9 million budget deficit, only $78,000 has been owing to creditors for more than 45 days.

This represents only a tiny fraction of the Network’s $110 million projected expenditure for the six months to June 30, 2011.

Visiting Goulburn Base Hospital last week, the chair of the Network’s governing council, Eve Bosak, revealed the current budget shortfall, but said she and the new NSW Health Minister, Jillian Skinner, had met to discuss ways of cutting costs while maintaining services.

“We won’t be cutting staff,” she said.

“There’s really a need for more staff, rather than fewer, and we’d like to reduce the time it takes to get things done by being able to give approvals immediately instead of going through three different administration levels.”

Ms Bosak said local networks would be given more decision-making power in order to provide seamless health care across all areas, including Goulburn and Crookwell hospitals.

Read more

12.25pm Sunday 10 April 2011

National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program - (6 Oct 2010)

Click to visit this document

8.45pm Thursday 7 April 2011 - The Daily Telegraph - Kate Sikora

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner proposes major overhaul of health system

Patients will know how many people are waiting in hospital emergency departments ahead of them before they arrive, under a radical overhaul of the health system.

As one of her first acts as Health Minister, Jillian Skinner will also legislate to give power back to doctors and nurses to run their hospitals.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph yesterday, Mrs Skinner said she would not rule out job cuts and wanted bureaucrats in "ivory towers" to get back to working in hospitals.

But under a major reform of the system, "real-time" waiting times will be introduced, giving patients the chance to hospital-shop on the internet to find those emergency departments with shorter waiting times.

A similar system already operates in Western Australia.

Mrs Skinner said her plan was to introduce the same system in NSW's major teaching hospitals, such as Royal Prince Alfred.

"We've said we will have real-time data on the internet for our major tertiary hospitals so you can log on and see how many people are sitting in the waiting room at Royal North Shore Hospital," she said.

"We have said all along we want people to get out of their ivory towers and get down to closer where the services are delivered."In her first week since being sworn in on Sunday, Mrs Skinner has sent a letter to all NSW Health employees promising to bring reform.

One goal is to re-draft the employee code of conduct based on core values including collaboration, openness, respect and empowerment.

She has promised the 100,000 employees she wants to stamp out bullying.

She will meet doctors at Royal North Shore Hospital who are concerned about plans to sell hospital land for housing development.

"One of my first objectives is to address the bullying and harassment that has been around for a very long time," she said. "I ask everyone to be patient. It's not going to change overnight."

Despite Premier Barry O'Farrell saying before the election he would not sign up to the national health agreements, Mrs Skinner said she was "open" to negotiating with the Federal Government.

She has contacted Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon to set up a meeting.

At the same time, she will change the name of all 15 local health networks to local health districts and will be meeting governing board members to ensure they have the right skills to financially run the hospitals.

Wanting to avoid budget over-runs that have plagued hospitals, Mrs Skinner said doctors, administrators and specialists who run the boards will have ultimate responsibility for budgets.

"I am giving them greater authority and responsibility," she said.

"There will be greater accountability, particularly in relation to finances.

"The Director-General has overall responsibility for the operations of the health department. I'm accountable for the system, the boards will have responsibility for local operations and that will mean, and I'm saying this to all the [board's chairpersons], I will look at the skills set of those bodies to make sure they do have sufficient expertise, not only in clinical matters but in management and finances."

Source

8.44pm Wednesday 6 April 2011 - The Daily Advertiser - Ben Glover

Rebuilding hospital not in 100-day action plan

Construction at the Wagga Base Hospital could still be up to a year off despite the new state government's announcement for a 100-day action plan.

Unveiling the plan on Monday, Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said the government would start to implement its Better Hospitals and Healthcare plan, "which includes a $3 billion investment into health capital, opening 1390 beds and providing 2475 extra nurses across the state" over the next 100 days.

However, in expanding on that plan yesterday, Wagga MP Daryl Maguire said a start would "definitely not" be made on the hospital during the 100-day period.

Instead he was hoping to broker a meeting with health minister Jillian Skinner "as soon as I can" so that they can go over the hospital plans and work on a roadmap to progress the rebuild.

"Certainly during the next 100 days, the (health) minister (Mrs Skinner) will be moving forward with the plan. We've said that this is our priority," Mr Maguire said.

"We've always said that we'll begin (construction) within the first 12 months of a Liberal/National government.

"We intend to do that."

Mr Maguire's comments came as defeated independent candidate for Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, urged the government to "clarify the funding and the timeline for the complete new hospital, especially given the concerns about budget black holes".

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has ordered an independent audit into the state's finances, adding to concerns at a federal level that the bill from recent floods across the country will take its toll on this year's federal budget.

Despite these concerns, Riverina MP Michael McCormack yesterday gave an assurance that the federal government's $1.8 billion Health and Hospitals fund "won't be touched".

"There'll always be speculation about these things but as far as I'm aware that money was put aside and it won't be touched," he said.

Source

6.06pm Saturday 02 April 2011 - SMH - Sean Nicholls, Mark Metherell

O'Farrell opts for reformer to head health bureaucracy

The shake-up of the highest ranks of the NSW public service has claimed the director-general of health, Debora Picone, who has been replaced after almost four years by Dr Mary Foley, a well-known reformer.

Announcing the decision yesterday, the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, also revealed that the director-general of education, Michael Coutts-Trotter, has been appointed director-general of the new Department of Finance and Services.

Mr Coutts-Trotter, who is married to the federal Labor minister Tanya Plibersek, was told by the likely education minister, Adrian Piccoli, a day before the election that he was to be removed from education, prompting Mr O'Farrell to state that he had ''a future in the NSW public sector''.

Mr O'Farrell also confirmed the director-general of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Brendan O'Reilly, would be replaced by Chris Eccles, chief executive of the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet. He paid tribute to Mr O'Reilly, who had said he could not commit to a four-year term.

Mr O'Farrell said he expected the remaining directors-general to stay in place, but that more public service appointments would be made nextweek. The position of director-general of education would be advertised.

The Premier was forced to defend himself over whether he had called Ms Picone before the election and assured her that her job was safe.

''I didn't,'' Mr O'Farrell said. ''There was a story about to appear in the Sunday papers that I had a [public servant] hit list. There was no hit list. I rang a number of people whose names were going to be in that newspaper story to assure them that there was no hit list.''

However, despite being invited to also pay tribute to Ms Picone, Mr O'Farrell avoided doing so.

Asked why he was advertising some positions but not others and why the appointments were not being carried out by his promised public service commission, Mr O'Farrell denied there was any inconsistency.

''We can't put everything on hold while we get the public service commission up and running,'' he said.

Dr Foley's appointment is the strongest indicator yet that the Premier is preparing for dramatic change in NSW Health.

Dr Foley, whose 30 years in the health system have covered senior posts in both the private and public sectors, has been an active and influential player in the health reform debate.

She has supported proposals by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission to develop competing health organisations to build a system more responsive to patient needs - a development that would reduce the role of NSW Health.

She has previously said that pouring more money through federal-state health agreements into public hospitals would not necessarily ease demand strains.

Source

11.10am Friday 01 March 2011 - The Young Witness - Megan Pigram

Reverse decision

The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) said NSW Health must urgently reverse what they describe as an “appalling decision” that will see medical students from NSW, who are studying medicine at the Australian National University in Canberra, unable to secure internship positions at rural NSW hospitals.

RDA NSW president, Dr Tilak Dissanayake, said he was “extremely disappointed” that NSW Health were refusing to guarantee rural internships for these students.

“Given the critical shortage of doctors right across rural NSW, it is astonishing that NSW Health will not guarantee these internship positions to NSW-origin medical students studying at the ANU—many of whom are crying out to undertake their internships in rural NSW, not in Sydney” Dr Dissanayake said.

“Many of the students studying medicine at the ANU are from NSW—in fact, of the last three intakes, 37 per cent, 45 per cent and 46 per cent listed a NSW address as their home address on application.

“These regions would dearly love to see ANU medical students return to their communities to undertake their internships and help meet local doctor shortages, and many of the students would love to return to the practices and communities that have supported them during their training—so the only barrier between the rural communities and the medical students themselves seems to be NSW Health,” Dr Dissanayake said.

Source

9.32am Wednesday 30 March 2011 - RDANSW

Rural Doctors Urge NSW Health To Reverse "Appalling Decision" On Rural Internships, Australia

The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) says NSW Health must urgently reverse an "appalling decision" that will see medical students from NSW, who are studying medicine at the Australian National University in Canberra, unable to secure internship positions at rural NSW hospitals.

Guaranteed intern places under the Rural Preferential Recruitment (RPR) Scheme have now been restricted only to medical graduates from NSW universities. Previously students from interstate universities who had completed their HSC in NSW were also guaranteed an internship in rural NSW hospitals. The decision means that NSWorigin medical students who are studying at the ANU will not have guaranteed offers of internships in rural NSW.

This is despite the fact that there is a critical shortage of doctors across rural NSW, and substantial evidence that medical students who experience rural practice are much more likely to become rural doctors upon graduation.

RDA NSW President, Dr Tilak Dissanayake, said he was "extremely disappointed" that NSW Health was refusing to guarantee rural internships for these students.

"Given the critical shortage of doctors right across rural NSW, it is astonishing that NSW Health will not guarantee these internship positions to NSW-origin medical students studying at the ANU-many of whom are crying out to undertake their internships in rural NSW, not in Sydney" Dr Dissanayake said.

"Many of the students studying medicine at the ANU are from NSW-in fact, of the last three intakes, 37%, 45% and 46% listed a NSW address as their home address on application.

"Many of these students are enrolled in ANU's Rural Clinical School which extends its footprint across south-east and south-west NSW and utilises rural NSW practices, hospitals and health services to provide training to its students.

"All ANU Medical School students spend 8 weeks in the rural NSW regions surrounding Canberra, and 25% of the Year 3 cohorts spend an entire year in rural south-east NSW.

"These regions would dearly love to see ANU medical students return to their communities to undertake their internships and help meet local doctor shortages, and many of the students would love to return to the practices and communities that have supported them during their training-so the only barrier between the rural communities and the medical students themselves seems to be NSW Health!

"Given the universally acknowledged shortage of doctors in rural Australia, particularly in rural NSW, it is a major concern that students from the ANU's Medical School-which is so committed to delivering the rural doctors of the future-should be disadvantaged like this.

"We call on NSW Health to urgently reconsider its position on this issue, and to guarantee rural internships in NSW for those medical students from NSW who are studying at the ANU Medical School.

"We would also welcome the opportunity to discuss this critical issue with the incoming NSW Government and NSW Health Minister in the coming weeks."

Source: Rural Doctors Association of NSW

4.59pm Tuesday 01 March 2011 - BDN - Derek Schwartz

Taking to the streets

Community members have taken to the streets seeking improved funding for the Katungul Aboriginal Medial Service in Bega.

The service, which operates along the NSW Far South Coast from Ulladulla to Eden, receives government funding for one full-time clinic but due to the large area and high demand uses these funds to run three part-time clinics instead.

Katungul Bega, which treated 2461 patients last financial year of whom 692 were non-indigenous, is open three days a week.

Outside of these hours clients are advised to seek treatment at Bega District Hospital where the average waiting time is four to five hours.

Community member Donna Aldridge said the situation is unacceptable.

Read more

01 March 2011 - The Land - Bronwyn Farr

Doctor crisis deepens

The much-heralded Federal Government policy breakthrough on health funding won’t address an absence of doctors in the bush, with NSW rural doctors insisting on a plan similar to that in Queensland to address the crisis.

Coolah-based NSW Rural Doctors Association president, Dr Tilak Dissanayake, says although “any reform is welcome” the deal did not address the fact rural areas were “bleeding doctors”.

“Any government has an obligation to provide equal health services to every citizen – but that is not the case for rural NSW where 50 per cent of doctors are overseas-trained, and retention is generally two or three years which is not sustainable,” Dr Dissanayake said.

“The workforce out here is aging, burned out with excess workloads – it’s not fair.

“It’s time for the government to implement a national model for training, recruiting and retaining rural health practitioners.”

Rural Doctors Australia president, Dr Paul Mara, said he hoped a single funding pool would lead to better co-ordination of planning and service delivery.

The peak body is pushing for a national advanced training pathway for rural generalist doctors based on the proven successful Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway model, which provides guaranteed advanced training to equip future rural generalist doctors for the challenges of rural practice, early entry (straight from university), ongoing support for trainees in the pathway, and professional and financial recognition for graduates of the pathway.

Dr Paul Mara, who is based at Gundagai, said he would adopt a “wait and see” approach to the health deal and whether it would mean improvements in the bush.

He said he would judge the success of the deal on whether, in three or four years, regional centres had good hospitals with trained doctors.

“We can only work with what we’ve got so if it works it works but if it doesn’t, it won’t be through a lack of trying on our part,” he said.

The health deal was announced this month after State and territory leaders attended a marathon Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Canberra, with Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, wielding a big stick – she had threatened to hold back $16.4 billion in funding for health unless a deal was done.

Source

10.18am Sunday 27 February 2011 - Crikey - Melissa Sweet, Amanda Dominello

What the NSW Opposition doesn’t want you to know about its health policies (and more from the NSW election health debate)

With their public health helmets on, Carmel Tebbutt, Deputy Premier and Minister for Health; Jillian Skinner, Deputy Leader of the NSW Opposition and Shadow Minister for Health; and David Shoebridge, Lead Green’s Candidate, last night participated in The Great Election Debate: Public Health in NSW.

The event commenced with an opening address from each candidate.

Carmel Tebbutt outlined the government’s achievements – decline in death rates for cancer, cardiovascular disease and accidents, campaigns to increase vaccination rates and decrease smoking rates, the 1999 Drug Summit and the NSW response to the swine flu pandemic – and identified obesity as a major public health challenge for the future.

Jillian Skinner told us the story of Mrs Western Sydney, who drives home after a long day’s work on the polluted and congested M5, buys a fast food dinner for the family, has little time in the evening to spend with her children, flops into bed at night, only to wake in the morning and start the same exhausting cycle again.  Jillian Skinner identified 3 priorities for the Coalition: prevention and better management of people with chronic disease; fixing hospitals; and investment in infrastructure, equipment, staff and medical research.

David Shoebridge said that recognition of Aboriginal people is a key part of the public health debate.  He spoke of the need to go beyond GPs and hospitals and address matters outside the health portfolio such as urban planning and transport.  He advocated for public health impact statements for new developments, advertising restrictions for unhealthy foods and an extension – and enforcement – of smoking bans in public places.

Later, in answering questions, Jillian Skinner said:

"If elected, the Coalition will review the details of the new COAG agreement, in particular boundaries for the LHNs, governance arrangements, local involvement of clinicians in the Governing Councils and the link between acute and community care."

Read more

9.15pm Tuesday 15 February 2010 - BDN

We can fix the mess: Constance

Member for Bega Andrew Constance believes the people of the Bega electorate are looking for a strong action plan to turn the Far South Coast and the state of NSW around.

“Only the Liberals have a plan to fix the mess created by 16 years of NSW Labor on the Far South Coast,” he said.

“From the shutdown of hospital services to the poor condition of the region’s highways to the mismanagement of the state’s electricity leading to massive price hikes, people are saying to me that they’ve had enough.

“They are sick of the corruption, cronyism, incompetence and selfishness of the current government.

“Having worked hard as the State Member for Bega over the past eight years I believe I have the experience necessary to bring the change at a local level that will improve the quality of life for residents on the Far South Coast.

Read more

9.14pm Tuesday 15 February 2010 - ABCNews

MP: Agreement to improve SE health

The Federal Member for Eden-Monaro in south east New South Wales, Mike Kelly, says there is a better deal ahead for the region's health system.

The Government has signed a deal with the States and territories to create a single funding pool for hospital procedures.

Dr Kelly says the change does not affect the arrangements for a new regional hospital at Bega.

And he says despite criticism that the reform will create more bureaucracy, the region is set to benefit.

"It means that funding will be guaranteed; the Commonwealth will become the 50 per cent funder of the public hospital system," he said.

"We're going to have money flowing straight into the system now through this agreement; there'll be $16.4b up to 2020 coming from the Commonwealth."

Dr Kelly says it puts more confidence in the development of the long-awaited Bega Regional Hospital.

Read more

9.04pm Tuesday 15 February 2010 - SMH

NSW govt invites oppn to health briefing

The NSW government has offered to give the opposition a full briefing on the national health reform plan so it can make a call on whether it will back it.

The opposition is under pressure to say whether it will support the health reforms struck at Sunday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting.

But Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell, who is expected to be NSW's next premier, says he first wants to talk to health professionals and get across the fine detail.

NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt on Tuesday called on the opposition to put "aside political differences" and offered her counterpart, Jillian Skinner, a full briefing "at her earliest convenience".

"If Ms Skinner requires more detail to understand how families in NSW will benefit from hundreds of new beds and billions in growth funding, we are more than happy to provide this opportunity," she said in a statement.

Read more

5.17pm Friday 11 February 2011 - ABC Online

Existing Hospital Plans Crash

Choose any one of the following stories

Government backs down on health GST deal

Gillard jettisons Rudd's health deal

Gillard's health backdown 'an absolute wipeout'

Vic close to agreement on health reform

Bligh prepares for health reform meeting

WA close to signing new health deal

9.38am Thursday 10 February 2011 - ABC News

Canberra patients could be treated in NSW

Canberra patients would be treated at the new Queanbeyan hospital under a proposed deal between the ACT and NSW Governments.

The agreement would allow the ACT to lease wards in the Queanbeyan hospital.

Health Minister Katy Gallagher says it would provide quicker access to patients currently on waiting lists for elective surgery at Canberra hospitals.

"In recognition that our hospitals are working pretty much to full capacity, yet we have quite a long waiting list, we should be able to use what is an underutilised hospital at the moment just over the border, to be able to increase our throughput on elective surgery," she said.

Source

Editor: So long as ACT patients are not really sick, and so long as they are not in labour, the ACT could send them down to Pambula Hospital. That would give the community of the Far South Coast an opportunity provide a neighbourly service to ACT residents. It would also facilitate an act of thanks from this community to Mike Kelly for all the wonderful support he has given in our fight to save and restore our local hospital from destruction by the NSW State Government.

8.29am Monday 31 January 2011 - Sun Herald - Heath Aston and Justin Norrie

Taxpayers' $53m air bill

More than $1 million a week is being spent on air travel by the NSW government, with staff working in the Health Department alone taking more than 30,000 flights in the past financial year.

Documents leaked to The Sun-Herald detail for the first time air travel by state agencies that cost NSW taxpayers $53 million in just one 12-month period.

The documents reveal:

• $13 million spent by all departments on international first-and business-class tickets.
  
• $3.6 million spent by one Sydney area health service on such tickets.
  
• $2.6 million billed to the government in credit card ''transaction fees''.
  

The leaked ''travel services contract'' also reveals 30 agencies each booked more than 1000 flights in the 12 months to June 30 last year.
Shadow treasurer Mike Baird last night committed the Coalition to slashing the flight bill by 25 per cent.

He said Labor had lost control of spending by departments: ''There has to be a new culture whereby every flight and every dollar is considered absolutely essential by ministers and the public service before it is booked or spent.''

The Coalition plans to divert resources into teleconferencing or trial free online services, such as Skype, to cut the air travel budget.

Health is the biggest single user of air travel, however, spending almost $20 million on 30,379 tickets

Health officials spent $10.1 million on international first- and business-class tickets, compared with $1.2 million on economy seats.

A NSW Health spokesperson explained the Greater Southern Area Health Service had to pay for more flights to send locum doctors into rural and remote communities.

Read more

Editor: GSAHS bureaucrats had known since their closure of the Pambula Hospital Maternity Department in 2008 that 9 GPs including 4 obstetricians, who all still live within a 20km radius of that facility, could have been doing the work stolen from them and taken over by the fly-in-fly-out locums. None of the money spent on the locum service was ever necessary. All NSW Health Ministers back to John Della Bosca including Carmel Tebbutt were frequently informed of this through interviews, mail and this website. None listened, preferring thoughtlessly to bow to the erroneous directives of GSAHS bureaucrats who continued with their mismanagement of public health in this rural and remote corner of the state.

5.39pm Saturday 29 January 2011 - BDN - Derek Schwarz

Health crisis in Cobargo

Cobargo residents have been left without a local doctor following the retirement of Dr Jeffery Lee last week.

Dr Lee announced his retirement last Monday and patients were informed that his practice would close its doors on Friday.

Dr Lee had sought a replacement for the past two years, but was unable to find one, although a group of locals have managed to contact a general practitioner from Cooma who may be able to work as a locum.

Read more

5.52pm Thursday 13 January 2011 - Cooma Monaro Express

Cooma Hospital joins state-wide industrial action

Cooma Hospital closed four beds on Monday this week, joining the ranks of 62 other hospitals participating in a state wide industrial campaign pushing for better nurse-patient ratios in public hospitals.

As of Tuesday this week a total of 451 beds in 62 hospitals had been closed.

More bed closures are also expected at Maitland and Bathurst hospitals tomorrow. NSW Nurses Association members at Katoomba, Sydney, Belmont, Royal Newcastle, Fairfield and Campbelltown hospitals will meet later in the week to plan bed closures at their facilities. All emergency services are being maintained.

Read more

3.15pm Wednesday 12 January 2011 - ABC News

Wagga MP Daryl Maguire supports nurses as almost 500 hospital beds are closed

A local MP has backed the nurses campaign where bed closures in the state's public hospitals are approaching 500.

Read more

5.59pm Friday 07 January 2011 - ABC News

Rural doctors support nurses as more hospital beds close

The Rural Doctors Association says the New South Wales government should fund the one to four nurse patient ratio that nurses want.

The New South Wales Nurses Association has closed more than 200 hopital beds across the state since Monday in its campaign for better staffing levels and a ratio equivalent to Victoria.

The union says 20 beds have been closed in Riverina hospitals.

The National President of the the Rural Doctors Association Dr Paul Mara from Gundagai said the campaign is valid.

"I think the one to four is probably a reasonable campaign," he said.

"I think that nurses working - particularly in rural areas - they have to take on specialist skills in a variety of areas."

"We support the nurses fully in their campaign."

Read more

4.50pm Tuesday 04 Jauary 2011 - SMH

Keneally has neglected nurses: Skinner

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally is so worried about her members jumping ship that she's neglected negotiations with nurses, the state opposition says.

The NSW Nurses' Association has begun closing hospital beds in protest against the government's failure to meet its demands for a one-to-four ratio of nurses to patients in NSW hospitals.

Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner said Ms Keneally had been pre-occupied dealing with a parade of MP scandals, resignations and retirements and had neglected the opportunity to negotiate with the nurses.

She said nurses had every right to feel "antagonistic" towards the government after it cut hundreds of nurse positions in Sydney and on the Central Coast.

"Here is the premier running around trying to stop inquiries, worrying about her members who are deserting a sinking ship and she can't ensurethat our frontline hardworking nurses have a proper set of negotiations," Ms Skinner told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

Read more

1.41pm Sunday 02 Jauary 2011 - SMH

The vanishing hope for a clean start

From day one, patient care is taking second place to politics, write Mark Metherell and Amy Corderoy.

Big picture health reforms - where care is co-ordinated and hospitals are a last resort - are the stuff of dreams for all who work in the system and anyone who has ever tried to navigate it as a patient or a carer.

Now one of the few relics left from the days of bold but largely unmet promises of the former prime minister Kevin Rudd - and the first step towards national reform - is the introduction of local health networks, which starts today.

NSW has taken a small but telling step away from the Rudd hospital-centric focus, changing the federal nomenclature from local hospital networks to local ''health'' networks.

The local health networks have been called thus in recognition of the fact that hospitals are part of a network of health services, ''and the best outcomes occur when health services - acute, primary and community care - work together'', Tebbutt says.

But many doctors are concerned that the focus on restructuring and politically attractive performance targets has taken attention away from the core job of the health system - patient care.

Read more

11.23am Wednesday 29 December 2010 - SMH - Amy Cordery

Health advisers fume despite Tebbutt's public face

The state Liberal health spokeswoman, Jillian Skinner, said health reform was in disarray: ''Kristina Keneally signed up to a health agreement without having a clue what it involved, how much it was going to cost NSW or how it was going to work."

The president of the AMA NSW, Michael Steiner, said doctors were concerned about unrealistic and unfunded targets.

"Unreachable targets would only have a punitive effect on the NSW health system because it would be starved of federal funding," he said.

Ross Kerridge, a Newcastle anaesthetist and member of the Hospital Reform Group, said reform was important but should not be done in the same "hierarchical and bullying" style previously used by NSW Health.

Read more

11.23am Wednesday 29 December 2010 - NSW Nurses Association

Nurses' Action To Start In New Year

Govt refuses to guarantee an offer. One2four action plan - how to close beds/services at your facility

NSWNA members will now close one in four beds and services from the New Year or shortly after, in response to the state Government yesterday refusing a formal recommendation from the Industrial Commission to guarantee an offer on ratios and skill mix by no later than 13th January, 2011.

Download the rest of the bulletin and One2Four Action Plan here.

Source

11.48am Friday 24 December 2010 - ABC News

Opposition attacks hospitals plan roll-out

Peter Dutton has accused the Government of breaking an election promise in failing to deliver 150 local hospital networks.

The Federal Opposition says the Government has failed to deliver a key promise from its health and hospitals plan.

The Government said it would create up to 150 local hospital networks so communities have more control over the public hospitals in their region.

But it is now expected to have less than half that number.

So far the boundaries for 46 networks have been set, and deals with Victoria and Western Australia are yet to be finalised.

Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton says it is more evidence the Government cannot deliver on its promises.

"Only 46 means it's not going to be local, and I don't think patients can expect any change in the health system," he said.

"This is a Government that promised a lot - they promised to fix public hospitals by mid-2009.

"And this is a Government that doesn't just get it wrong in relation to pink batts or school halls, but also in relation to health as well."

Mr Dutton says Australians have been conned.

Read more

NSW sceptical of health reform: Dutton

The federal opposition says a leaked draft letter from the NSW health minister to her federal counterpart, Nicola Roxon, proves Labor's health reform agenda is "nothing but an empty shell".

The letter raises concerns about the commonwealth's plan to open up to 75 Medicare Locals across the country from mid-next year.

The primary health care organisations are meant to work closely with Labor's new local hospital networks.

But the draft letter from Carmel Tebbutt reveals NSW officials have serious concerns regarding how Medicare Locals will be funded and run.

The federal opposition's health spokesman, Peter Dutton, seized on the letter to argue Labor's policy was unravelling.

"We learn today that eight months after the reform agreement states still have no idea how key elements of these so-called reforms are supposed to operate," he said in a statement on Friday.

"The NSW government is saying it has no idea how these bodies that are supposed to manage and co-ordinate primary care across Australia will actually work, who will run them and under what rules they will operate."

Read more

O'Farrell won't surrender GST

NSW opposition leader Barry O'Farrell says he won't surrender GST to the federal government if he becomes NSW Premier.

"...the GST was a boom for the states because it's a growth tax. It helps our bottom line. To give it away through a COAG process without reference to the community I think is just an abrogation of all fiscal responsibilities," he said on Sunday.

"Every year the GST has been there it has delivered more money to state governments than was anticipated.
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"As someone who wants to govern NSW, I don't believe that I should be giving away an extra dollar of revenue to the federal government, when there are so many needs, infrastructure and services in NSW that clearly are struggling," Mr O'Farrell told Sky News.

The GST was "the cream that a responsible government can use to put in the bank to improve services".

He said relinquishing the GST to the commonwealth was a fundamental breach of the federation contract that was put together in 1998 under John Howard - and "shouldn't be done lightly".

While there were good things about the corporate hospital reform, promises had yet to be delivered, he said.

"We've argued for two years about the need to involve local people in the health system and in the running of our health services."

He said the benefits promised by the health deal had not been delivered despite Premier Kristina Keneally promising in April that the benefits would flow to NSW from July.

"We just saw a report last week that showed we have 3,000 fewer operations over the past three years and we still don't have enough beds in our hospitals," Mr O'Farrell said.

Read more

Hospital funding announced by May

Federal funding for the new regional hospital at Bega is likely to be announced by around May next year if an application for its construction is successful, Member for Eden Monaro Mike Kelly said.

Mr Kelly said that under the new federal-state health agreements, 60 per cent of the cost of the new hospital would now be met by the Common-wealth with only 40 per cent coming from the NSW health budget.

An application for funding for the $100 million, 136-bed facility would be lodged under the $1.8 billion round of health funding brought forward after the federal election.

“We will see the new regional hospital funding dealt with in that,” Mr Kelly said.

“There is an application process to be gone through, but if successful it will be announced around budget time in May next year.”

Read more

Huge win for isolated patients

Editor: This article would apply equally to all patients from the Far South Coast who need to travel further than 200km for specialist treatment at Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.

Patients from in and around Lockhart, The Rock, Yerong Creek and Pleasant Hills who have to travel for health care are said to be better off under a NSW Liberals and Nationals government.

Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner and Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire made an announcement last week that the NSW Liberals and Nationals government will boost the Isolated Patient Transport and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) by an average of $100.

“This is a huge win for Lockhart, The Rock, Yerong Creek and Pleasant Hills patients who are forced to travel long distances to get the health care they need,” Mrs Skinner said.

“The IPTAAS budget will be increased by 50 per cent, injecting an extra $28 million into the scheme over the first four years of a NSW Liberals and Nationals Government.

“A typical patient who makes an IPTAAS claim will receive on average an extra $100 towards their travel and accommodation costs.”

Ms Skinner said greater access will mean better outcomes for Lockhart and district patients and healthier rural and regional communities.

“Labor’s administration fee saw some patients spend more money on bureaucracy than they would get back via the IPTAAS allowance,” she said.

“In government, the NSW Liberals and Nationals would review this fee with a view to making it fairer so it does not stop people claiming, or even seeking treatment in the first place.

“A NSW Liberals and Nationals government would also review the IPTAAS administration fee, the distance eligibility criteria (focusing on patients with a chronic disease), parking arrangements and paperwork complexity.”

Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire said many patients in the Lockhart district travel long distances to major referral hospitals to receive life-saving medical care.

“Local patients have told me Labor’s scheme is too bureaucratic, too mean and just doesn’t go far enough in terms of covering the out-of-pocket costs families endure,” he said.

“I want to improve the quality of life for patients in the Lockhart area.”

Read more

10.25am Sunday 5 December – ABC News

Funding moves for regional hospital

The Federal Government says the development of a new regional hospital near Bega on the New South Wales far south coast has reached another crucial stage.

The Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, says his State counterparts have submitted an application under the Commonwealth Health and Hospitals Fund.

The State Government will fund 40 per cent of the hospital, which is expected to cost $100m.

Doctor Kelly says the hospital will provide a long-awaited boost to south east health services.

"It's going to be an integrated service with 136 inpatient beds, 122 overnight beds, and 70 acute medical and surgical beds," he said.

"I'm really excited.

"Now we can confirm that the bid has gone in, and I've been lobbying hard at the other end to make sure we're high on the priority list."

Source

Nurses to strike over nurse ratios

The NSW Nurses Association’s (NSWNA) committee of delegates has unanimously voted for NSWNA’s public health system members to strike next Wednesday, November 24, as part of their campaign – the 1 nurse : 4 patients - The way to safe patient care campaign - for a major overhaul of the State’s public hospital and healthcare system, through the introduction of mandated, minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in public hospitals and community healthcare services.

It is the first Statewide nurses’ strike in NSW since November 2001.

Read more and add your own comment

7.51pm Wednesday 10 November 2010 - Manly-Daily

Maternity demo: Health Minister hides in coward's castle

The group of more than 60, who were joined by pregnant mothers as well as grandmothers and grandfathers, had travelled more than an hour by bus to the protest. The midwives and the general community are furious that the State Government has reneged on its promised to return full maternity services to Mona Vale and instead replace them with a midwife-led birthing unit without any obstetric or neonatal support.

Pittwater MP Rob Stokes, who spoke at the protest, said it was appalling Ms Tebbutt had not bothered to address them.

The midwives and the general community are furious that the State Government has reneged on its promised to return full maternity services to Mona Vale and instead replace them with a midwife-led birthing unit without any obstetric or neonatal support. Pittwater MP Rob Stokes, who spoke at the protest, said it was appalling Ms Tebbutt had not bothered to address them.

“It is disgraceful that the government is not here,” he said. “It would only have taken a few minutes for Ms Tebbutt to have come here.

“We want our maternity unit returned like we were promised.” The protesters had funnelled into buses provided by Pittwater Council and descended upon Macquarie St to demand a meeting with Ms Tebbutt. All dressed in yellow T-shirts with the slogan “Return Maternity Services to Mona Vale Hospital” and waving placards, the group chanted in protest against the decision.

Midwife Dennie Hardie, who spoke to the gathering, said her fellow midwives had not taken the decision to protest lightly.

``Several years ago the government publicly guaranteed there would be no downgrading of services at Mona Vale until the hospital at Frenchs Forest was built,’’ she said. ``Then about 16 months ago the maternity unit was closed under stealth.

``We have already lost many experienced staff as a result of this.’‘ Helen Johnston, who had her first two children at Mona Vale Hospital, spoke on behalf of northern beaches mothers.

``I am sure I’m not alone when I say that the decision to downgrade the comprehensive maternity ward at Mona Vale Hospital to a midwifery group practice is economic rationalism at its most dangerous,’’ she said. Mrs Johnston said there were complications with the birth of her first child so the obstetrician was called and her baby was delivered safely.

``I can’t imagine the stress and trauma, not to mention danger to my life and that of my baby, which I would have experienced if I had to get into an ambulance and be driven to another hospital to seek the help of an obstetrician,’’ she said. ``Yet this is what is being proposed as a solution.

``Well, I think it’s a solution that is unethical, disrespectful and dangerous.’‘ Pittwater Mayor and member of the Save Mona Vale Hospital group, Harvey Rose ntsT nte told the crowd they would not go without a fight.

``It’s our cause, it’s Pittwater’s cause and it is the cause of women on the northern beaches,’’ he said. ``We will stay with you right through this struggle until we get full maternity services back at Mona Vale.’‘

A spokesman for Ms Tebbutt said the Minister had existing parliamentary commitments and was unable join those gathered at Parliament House.

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9.39am Wednesday 10 November 2010 - NSW Health

NSW Government announces Chairs of the Local Health Network Governing Councils: State-Commonwealth Health Reform

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4.15pm Tuesday 21 September 2010 - Daily Examiner and Northern Star

Other communities are cranky at Carmel Tebbutt over LHNs

Groups call to keep service local

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Splits emerge over health shake-up

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5.26pm Tuesday 14 September 2010 - SMH - Harvey Grennan

Health networks too big, say shires

Local government says the federal government's plan to localise health and hospital management is nothing of the sort.

''You can't call a network 'local' if a patient or member of staff has to drive over 500 kilometres to reach a specialist service," the president of the Shires Association, Bruce Miller, says of NSW Health's proposed 17 local health networks, two of which are not geographic.

''These proposed networks are too big to effectively manage local concerns. They are geographically the size of regions.

''It's simply not workable and the boundaries need to change,'' Mr Miller said.

The Local Government and Shires Associations want the proposed Central West and Murrumbidgee networks to be split into four networks and Canberra Hospital to be factored into the Southern NSW and Murrumbidgee networks.

They are critical of NSW Health recruiting people to chair the new networks before public submissions on the new system have been considered.

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Editor: Bruce Miller's thoughts reflect similar concerns to those detailed in the SOHInc submission.

5.15pm Tuesday 14 September 2010 – NineMSN – Adam Bennett

NSW hospital data questioned at hearing

Controversy about NSW hospital performance data has spilled into budget estimates hearings, with health minister Carmel Tebbutt accused of withholding information to put a positive government spin on it.

At a sometimes heated hearing at Parliament House on Monday, the opposition brandished leaked hospital data for August, asking if they could get their hands on it, why couldn't the public.

The government has long been accused of withholding hospital data to limit scrutiny of the troubled system.

June quarter figures were released by the Bureau of Health Information on Friday, more than two months after the period finished.

Liberal MP and budget estimates committee chair Robyn Parker questioned how the community could be confident in data released by the government when there was such a delay in having it published.

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6.13pm Monday 13 September 2010 - SMH

Tebbutt under fire for slow data release

NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt has been accused of deliberately withholding hospital performance data to give the government time to spin the information in its favour.

The ongoing argument about the release of the hospital data spilled over into budget estimates hearings at Parliament House on Monday, after opposition committee members brandished leaked figures for August, which are yet to be released.

June figures were released by the Bureau of Health Information on Friday, but the failure to include surgery waiting lists led to opposition accusations of a cover up.

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6.10pm Monday 13 September 2010 - ABC News

Doctors cry foul as Gillard scraps health portfolio

Rural GPs say they are extremely disappointed a dedicated portfolio for Indigenous health and rural and regional health has been axed in the new Gillard Government.

The Rural Doctors Association says it is very worried about losing the dedicated portfolio after just one term of government.

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5.32pm Sunday 12 September 2010 – SMH - Heath Aston

Spin costs hit $4.3m

The Keneally government is spending more than $4.3 million a year on media advisers but the cabinet does not want the public to know the price of its addiction to spin.

The government tried to block requests to release the pay bill for its 36 spin doctors, who are paid an average salary of $121,000 a year. But the opposition last week won access to the figures under freedom of information laws.

Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said voters would be ''horrified'' at the cost of putting a positive spin on the scandal-plagued government of Kristina Keneally.

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5.28pm Sunday 12 September 2010 - Top News

Opposition Lashes Out At NSW Govt. For ‘Hiding Waiting-List Data’

The Board of Health Information (BHI) on Friday released the first quarterly review of NSW hospitals for the time period between April and June of the current year.

The report highlights that the NSW was keeping the waiting list data of the hospitals in wraps, as the figures are believed to be embarrassing for the NSW.

The NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt well- received the report and commented that the results of the report highlight that the hospital emergency departments were performing up to the mark and also a decrease in the waiting times for elective surgery has been observed.

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11.10am Monday 6 September 2010 - Chris Henning - WAToday

The state that's gone to the dogs

Scene: The cabinet room, Parliament House, Macquarie Street. Ministers drift in for the weekly cabinet meeting - Carmel Tebbutt, Eric Roozendaal, Verity Firth, Frank Sartor. The Premier, Kristina Keneally, enters, accompanied by two public servants, one carrying five flat cardboard boxes, and the other leading two small dogs.
 
Kristina Keneally: (To the public servant with boxes, pointing at empty chairs.) One in each of these chairs, if you would, Graham. (To the other public servant): And the dogs there and there, Brian.Graham opens the first box, takes out a flattened plastic object and starts to inflate it.Frank Sartor: What's this, Kristina?
KK: We've had another resignation from the ministry, as you know. I've had to find replacements quickly.
(The plastic is taking shape: it is a blow-up doll. A yellow one.)
Carmel Tebbutt: Have you consulted the party on this, Kristina?
Eric Roozendaal: This sets a worrying precedent.
KK: Let me explain. We are the only ministers left. Everyone else has resigned after visiting gay brothels, or has been sacked for looking at net porn, or misusing funds, or has quit because they're fed up.
(Graham finishes inflating the first figure. It is Spongebob Squarepants. He seats him in an empty cabinet chair. He starts on a second. This one is blue.)
KK: So, I have had to find replacements. Now I looked for candidates on the backbench, I really did. Can any of you think of one of our backbenchers who would make a good minister? (Pause. She looks at the five.) No. Me neither. In fact, can any of you name one of our backbenchers? (Pause again.) No. Me neither. So I thought: why not look outside Parliament for talent? So I did.
(Second figure is inflated now - Thomas the Tank Engine. Graham starts a third.)
ER: I very much doubt you'll have the numbers on this, Kristina. (He punches buttons on his mobile phone, and begins a muted, earnest conversation in a corner of the room.)
KK (Over her shoulder): Numbers? There are no numbers. (To the others) See, I went to the branches, and guess what? No members. I asked friends, and friends of friends, and surprise, surprise, they're all gonna vote Liberal and don't want to get involved. So - long story short - the only places I could find willing candidates were Pets R Us and the Party Shop. And here we are. (She gestures at the cabinet room, where by now Graham has blown up the remaining three dolls: B1, B2 and Dorothy the Dinosaur.) Oh, good, we're ready. Shall we begin?
Dog 1: Woof.
KK: Sh, Muffy. Oo mummy's Minister for Healfy, aren't oo? Ess oo are. Oo get a ickoo sweetie later, darling.
Enter Paul Howes, national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, vice-president of the ACTU, and Labor kingmaker extraordinary.
Paul Howes: That's enough Kristina. You haven't got the numbers on this. I'm declaring this meeting null and void.
Both dogs launch themselves at Howes from behind and sink their sharp little teeth in his tempting buttocks. With a howl he swats them off, and tears away from them bare-arsed around the room. Both dogs follow in hot pursuit, over and under chairs and the table, before chasing Howes out the door and away down the corridor. As the noise of the pursuit dies away, the only sound is the plastic figures quietly deflating.
Curtain.

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All entries to September 2010 have been archived and can be accesed by emailed request.