Splits emerge over health shake-up

Hazel Bridett

PLANS to effectively return to the old Northern Rivers Area Health Service model for local health have suffered a blow with a late call by a local health group to stay with the existing super health service, which stretches from Tweed Heads to Kempsey.

NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt is expected to decide on new health service boundaries, stemming from Federal Government reforms, within a day or two.

Local doctors and MPs have been pushing to have the health service divided into two sections. The northern section would stretch from Grafton to Tweed Heads, roughly mimicking the footprint of the old Northern Rivers Area Health Service. That call was backed by last year’s Garling Report into the State’s health services.

However, The Northern Star understands the North Coast Area Health Service Advisory Council has now stepped in and told Ms Tebbutt it wants the existing boundaries to remain unchanged.

Council chairwoman Hazel Bridget yesterday declined to comment on the recommendation, or even on whether the council had made a recommendation to the Government, saying ‘it’s not up to us’ to discuss advice given to the Minister or the department.

Federal Page MP Janelle Saffin, State Lismore MP Thomas George, and Lismore Base Hospital Medical Staff Council spokesman Chris Ingall all criticised the recommendation, saying it did not fit with the wishes of local medicos or the community.

Ms Saffin said she had asked Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon to step in and urge Ms Tebbutt to reject the council’s recommendation.

“I’m deeply concerned to hear there’s been this change when all the people involved were happy (with the plan to split the health service in two),” she said.

“I have heard no one in the medical or health community say we should keep it as business as usual.”

Mr George said the recommendation was ‘out of touch with community needs, medical needs and hospital needs’.

Dr Ingall said the Medical Staff Council had sent its own letter to Ms Tebbutt urging her to reject the advice and stay with the plan to split the area health service.

“We are astounded that AHAC (the council) would do such a thing without consulting, because we thought they were a consultative body,” he said.

Dr Ingall said cutting down the size of area health services would reduce the bureaucracy and help improve the services.