Northern Beaches Hospital

Mr BRAD HAZZARD (Wakehurst) [1.10 p.m.]: I move:

That this House:

(1) notes the urgent need for a new Northern Beaches hospital to be constructed and brought into
service;

(2) notes the delay in preliminary planning for clinical services at the proposed new Northern
Beaches hospital;

(3) calls on the Government to immediately commit to a timetable for construction of the new
Northern Beaches hospital; and

(4) congratulates the staff of Manly Hospital and Mona Vale Hospital for continuing to provide health
services as both hospitals have been run down by the Government's underfunding.

For years the Opposition has been trying to get this lazy Labor Government to deliver health services to the people of the northern beaches, who deserve and need them. Manly Hospital and Mona Vale Hospital are located on the northern beaches and their medical, surgical, nursing and ancillary staff have tried desperately to get the facilities upgraded. Instead, under this incompetent Labor Government there has been a series of cuts to every area of the hospitals. Modest improvements have been made simply in a sense of desperation, but for more than a decade both hospitals have suffered these cuts. Members have come and gone from this place and we now have a wonderful member for Manly. One of his predecessors, Dr Peter Macdonald—who was an Independent member—and I fought a battle in the 1990s against the closure of the maternity unit at Manly Hospital.

I cannot tell you how many times that unit has been threatened with closure. I discussed the matter this morning with a woman who said that the feeling of desperation cannot be underestimated among women who want to have a baby at Manly Hospital but who know that the unit's closure could be announced at any time. Peter Macdonald and I fought that battle and now the current member for Manly is fighting the same battle. The maternity unit at Manly Hospital was threatened with closure again recently. Just about every area of Mona Vale Hospital has been threatened with closure. The intensive care unit has been under great pressure for years. It has only two intubated beds—the unit at Manly Hospital is relatively bigger—and its continued operation is under great threat. Orthopaedic services at both hospitals are under threat. The staff at the hospitals do a fantastic job, but the sad truth is that the Government is doing very little to give them the necessary support.

Some of my family members were in Manly Hospital recently and I was saddened to see the state of the facilities there. The disrepair is so bad that daylight can be seen through cracks in the walls, and water drips in around the windows. I understand that the theatres have major logistical problems. Through absolute necessity, the intensive care unit received funding recently. But this was inadequate and a lot less than the Government announced originally. There are far fewer beds and less room around the beds than promised so intensive care staff continue to work in difficult circumstances. The situation is so appalling that doctors, nurses and the community of the northern beaches could be best described as feeling bitter and twisted about the prospect of getting reasonable hospital facilities. That is sad and it could be dangerous, but that is the reality. The northern beaches are not receiving the facilities that have been promised.

This morning I spoke to three senior specialists and in the past few days I have spoken to other doctors and nurses. They all give me the same message: they no longer believe this Government is fair dinkum about delivering improved hospital services. This Government has had a series of health Ministers, and with every change of Minister it is a case of one step forward and five steps back. The problem is compounded by changes in senior management. The member for Manly, the member for Pittwater—another esteemed colleague from the northern beaches—and the member for Davidson are trying to get hospital facilities upgraded. In June 2007 we met representatives of NSW Health who were putting together a so-called "clinical services plan".

Mr Rob Stokes: Where is it?

Mr BRAD HAZZARD: The member for Pittwater is looking for it too, as is the member for Manly. We are looking everywhere, and we still cannot find it. Unfortunately, on the same day Stephen Christley, the former head of the Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service, disappeared off the face of the earth. He had been working on the plan. As late as yesterday, the Minister for Health announced in the Chamber that she had made changes to the senior bureaucracy as a result of her frustration. But her frustration is nothing compared with ours. Whatever shortcomings there may have been, the removal of Stephen Christley has simply set back progress. I am still waiting for a formal briefing from Matthew Daly, the new chief executive.

Mr Mike Baird: Hear! Hear!

Mr BRAD HAZZARD: The member for Manly and the member for Pittwater also want a formal briefing. I hope the Minister is out there somewhere listening to this debate. We want a briefing. We are the parliamentary representatives of the northern beaches community comprising nearly 300,000 people and we want a briefing from Matthew Daly, as director of the health service.

Mr Mike Baird: Where is he?

Mr BRAD HAZZARD: Indeed, and where is the clinical services plan? It is not a personal reflection on Matthew Daly—he may well be very competent. But, unfortunately he, like all senior bureaucrats, is now well and truly cautious because he does not know whether he has the Government's imprimatur to provide the necessary services. I know, I am sure my colleagues know, the Minister knows, and former health Ministers of the past 12 years have known that Manly and Mona Vale hospitals are in a disastrous state physically. They have fantastic staff but the premises are absolutely appalling. Despite this, Treasury and the Minister for Health will not come to the party.

The truth is everybody in New South Wales is entitled to good health services. We know the Minister's mind is elsewhere at the moment. We have had a number of inquiries into Royal North Shore Hospital and other hospital facilities. We know the Government is incompetent and that for some years it has not provided the sorts of services that are necessary. As Liberals—I was a member of the Coalition when it was last in office—we believe everybody should get a fair go. When I served on the health committee in my first term in office, one of my proudest moments was visiting Liverpool Hospital, Westmead Hospital and a number of other hospitals in the western suburbs. We came back to the Parliament and, without political fear or favour, told the then health Minister, John Hannaford, that money had to be spent to upgrade the outpatients and emergency care facilities at Liverpool. We went through a whole list of other things that needed to be done and not once was there a discussion along the lines of "They vote Labor" or "They vote Liberal" or "Who cares?"

Mr Mike Baird: Government for all.

Mr BRAD HAZZARD: Indeed. We were a government for everybody. Nick Greiner made that point. I will swear on a stack of Bibles that that was never an issue. However, I see opposite a bunch of people whose preoccupation with politics is appalling. For some reason people's lives have been relegated to a question of "Who did you vote for at the last election?" As my colleagues will say in a few minutes' time, it is time we got our clinical services plan. It is time that Matthew Daly came and briefed us. It is time the Government said, "Yes, we are going to move forward on what we promised."

Let us not forget that it is now a couple of years since the former Minister for Health, Mr Hatzistergos, announced in the pressroom downstairs that we would have a hospital. Based on his comments we all assumed that we would have a hospital by 2010. Of course that is not going to happen. It is 2008 and we are moving at a snail's pace. Nothing is going to happen. On behalf of the people of the northern beaches I plead with the Government. It is time for justice and fairness to prevail. Reverse the bitter and twisted view that we have all developed—all the doctors, all the patients—and let us know you really care about all of us as people and provide some reasonable health facilities for the northern beaches.

Mr BARRY COLLIER (Miranda—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.20 p.m.]: No State Government in history has provided more new and upgraded health facilities than this one. Since 1995 we have invested over $5 billion in capital works for the New South Wales public health system. We have delivered more than 50 major hospital developments—a far cry from the Opposition's record on public hospitals. Thirty public hospitals were closed or downgraded in only seven years under the Liberals. That is more than four hospitals closed each and every year, not just in Sydney but throughout New South Wales—I refer to hospitals such as Lithgow, Kiama and Wallsend—making people travel further for health care than they need. We have picked up the slack with over 50 major projects since 1995, 30 more projects over $10 million underway around New South Wales and $2.4 billion committed to hospital redevelopments and other major health infrastructure over the next four years.

Down Sutherland way, since the Carr Government was elected and starting in 1999, we have had an $89.5 million redevelopment of Sutherland Hospital; installed cardiac catheter labs and orthopaedic surgery units; and opened a $5 million community health centre. We are spending $10 million on a renal dialysis unit and a non-acute mental health unit, we have improved parking, and there are plans underway for a 112-bed aged care facility on the hospital grounds. We are building a first-class health campus for the shire at Sutherland Hospital. That is a far cry from the Liberals' efforts when, under my predecessor Mr Ron Phillips, not one dollar was allocated to capital expenditure in Sutherland Hospital.

Mr Mike Baird: Point of order: We are one minute and 48 seconds into this speech. It is a very clear motion about health on the northern beaches and the Parliamentary Secretary has not yet mentioned the northern beaches. Can you draw him back to the motion?

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Wayne Merton): Order! I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to address his remarks to the motion.

Mr BARRY COLLIER: Yes, of course. The next line says that in March 2006—

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Wayne Merton): Order! The Parliamentary Secretary indicated that he will address the motion. Therefore, I ask him to do so.

Mr BARRY COLLIER: I will address the motion. I will say, though, that the northern beaches are part of the overall health system.

Mr Brad Hazzard: Thanks for mentioning that, Barry. We really appreciate it.

Mr BARRY COLLIER: I just thought I would let the member know. In March 2006 the Iemma Government announced that a new acute hospital would be built on the northern beaches at Frenchs Forest. The new hospital is a major component of the $500 million northern beaches strategy and on completion will deliver state-of-the-art facilities and services to the northern beaches community. Planning for the new hospital is well underway with $3 million now approved to progress more detailed designs, including the engagement of consultants to undertake preparation of the project definition plan, which is expected to be completed by mid-2008. Meanwhile the northern beaches health service strategy has been finalised and will be considered by Cabinet soon, followed by public release.

The future configuration of the complementary health services at Mona Vale and Manly will be considered as part of the planning process. The bulk of the site for the new northern beaches hospital at Frenchs Forest has now been acquired and I am advised that compensation offers have been made to seven former owners where the properties were acquired by compulsory processes. Additional work to be progressed with the next phase of planning will include regenerating the remnant Duffy's Forest ecosystem to an alternative site in Frenchs Forest; acquiring part of Bantry Bay Road and a portion of a public reserve from Warringah Council; and negotiating upgrades to the intersection of Warringah Road and Forest Way, plus flood mitigation work on Wakehurst Parkway. This will address concerns of local residents regarding ambulance and other access to the new hospital.

An important part of the planning process, and indeed construction, is ongoing clinical consultation. I am advised that extensive consultation began in 2006 with clinicians from Manly, Mona Vale and Royal North Shore hospitals. Community members and other stakeholders have also been consulted in advance of a clinical services plan for the new hospital. This involved 20 service-based groups, each of which met on several occasions. Based on the initial planning and consultation, I am advised that the redevelopment will include an additional 64 acute care beds, 13 mental health beds, 18 sub-acute beds for rehabilitation, aged care, mental health and palliative care, and an increase in operating theatres and intensive care facilities. This is above what is currently available at Manly and Mona Vale hospitals and will better serve the health needs of the people of the northern beaches. The newly formed Health Infrastructure Board will be leading the development of the northern beaches hospital and will ensure that it delivers the health services needed by the northern beaches community. I move:

That the motion be amended by leaving out paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) with a view to inserting instead:

(2) notes the preliminary planning for clinical services at the proposed new Northern Beaches hospital;

(3) calls on the Government to commit to the construction of the new Northern Beaches hospital; and

(4) congratulates the staff of Manly Hospital and Mona Vale Hospital for continuing to provide health services.

Mr ROB STOKES (Pittwater) [1.27 p.m.]: I support the motion moved by my colleague and friend the member for Wakehurst. Very simply, our community was promised in 2006 that there would be two hospitals on the northern beaches. The reality is there is not even a hole in the ground for the Frenchs Forest hospital and it seems this Government is trying to put Mona Vale Hospital into its very own hole in the ground. Even the renal dialysis unit that was promised to Mona Vale Hospital in the last State budget and was again promised to be delivered by the end of March this year seems to have disappeared into a hole in the ground. We were promised a six-unit dialysis unit to be delivered by March. It is now April and that unit has not been installed at Mona Vale Hospital. A lack of leadership on this issue has undermined certainty and increased confusion and resentment among the northern beaches community. Our community is entitled to know what the plans are for both Frenchs Forest hospital and Mona Vale Hospital.

Residents of the northern beaches need a new hospital at Frenchs Forest and the residents of Pittwater desperately need a guaranteed future for Mona Vale Hospital and the assurance that in an emergency they can get early access and early treatment at Mona Vale. It is time that this Government provided certainty to the northern beaches community of almost 250,000 residents. I thank the hardworking staff of Mona Vale Hospital for the fabulous work they have done under appalling conditions. I refer to people such as Anthony Dombkins, the director of nursing; Karen Draddy, the nursing unit manager of maternity; Eileen Gordan, head of Mona Vale auxiliary; Dr Hagop Kiyork, head of the medical staff council; and the hardworking staff of Hope Healthcare who provide palliative care services at Mona Vale. I suspect that the crisis in the health system would be even worse if it were not for the hardworking staff at places such as our community hospitals in Mona Vale and Manly.

Pursuant to sessional orders business interrupted and set down as an order of the day for a future day.

[Acting-Speaker (Mr Wayne Merton) left the chair at 1.30 p.m. The House resumed at 2.15 p.m.]