Boorowa Health Services

About this Item
Speakers - Schultz Mr Albert
Business - Private Members Statements

BOOROWA HEALTH SERVICES

Mr SCHULTZ (Burrinjuck) [6.07 p.m.]: I raise a serious matter related to health services in the township of Boorowa in my electorate, and more specifically to a health service that comes under the auspices of the Southern Area Health Service. The nurse manager at the Boorowa District Hospital now has a reduced role. She is endeavouring to combine the clinical management of not only the Boorowa hospital but also the Harden District Hospital. The deputy manager at Harden took a redundancy package and the nurse manager at Harden accepted a job in a private hospital in Bathurst.

The nurse manager at Boorowa hospital is attempting to manage both hospitals and health services, working two days at Boorowa and three days at Harden. This can only be described as one of the most disgraceful, unreasonable and dangerous situations in health services, despite the rhetoric of the Minister, who tells members of this Chamber day in and day out what a wonderful job the Carr Government is doing for health services. It is dangerous not only for the patients but for the nurse manager. I was first alerted to this matter on 4 September when I received a copy of a letter from Dr Ron Scott, who is the medico providing services to Boorowa hospital. He sent the letter to the chief executive officer of the Southern Area Health Service. I should like to read this letter onto the record to make the House aware of this serious situation. The letter states:

Dear Sir,

RE: CLINICAL MANAGER, BOOROWA DISTRICT HOSPITAL, REDUCTION OF AVAILABILITY.

It has come to my attention that the clinical and managerial responsibilities of the clinical manager have been reduced to two days per week.

From this action it would appear that the executive of the Southern Area Health Service are not entirely aware of the clinical requirements of the Boorowa Hospital and Community Health services.

The Clinical Manager is involved in the day to day services of Patient Management, outpatient and inpatient. She has a role in Community Health Services which are administered distantly from Young, Goulburn or Queanbeyan. The luxury provided to such services have never been able to provide satisfactory outcomes in respect to services previously provided.

Any decision limiting the Clinical Services of this town and surrounding area must be made in consultation.

Those providing Primary Health cover, do so for a town population of at least 1400 whilst that of the surrounding area is 2500.

As the sole Local Medical Officer and VMO, I must protest any decision to limit the availability of such a person to this service.

Clinically, we are stretched past the limit. VMO services are provided 24hrs per day, 7 days per week. There is a heavy reliance on senior clinical back-up and expertise. Boorowa District Hospital services a portion of the Lachlan Highway for Medical and Trauma Emergencies.

The present Clinical Manager provides expertise locally and has in the short term provided replacement relief to other areas in good faith. This has been possible locally due to extended efforts by senior staff.

Accreditation requirements for the District Hospital requires full time Clinical Management.

Further economic gain cannot be achieved by sacrificing possible safe practice within the Hospital and its allied Health Services.

This concern was summed up in an article in the Boorowa News on 18 September referring to time
Page 516
sharing the nurse manager-clinical manager, Margaret Rose, when Mayor Rob Gledhill said:

Mrs Rose is currently working two days at Boorowa Hospital and three days at the Harden Murrumburrah District Hospital.

The reduction of Mrs Rose’s days at Boorowa Hospital has incensed the Shire Council, local health workers and the community at large . . .

Quite rightly so. Despite what the Minister says, he has demonstrated to the people of rural New South Wales that what is heard in this place about the wonderful work he is doing for health services in regional New South Wales is nothing short of nonsensical. In this particular instance - and in many more across the State - he is putting the lives of patients at risk in two hospitals. He is putting those professionals, such as the nurse manager, under enormous personal and professional stress, which can lead only to disaster through staff collapsing or breaking down, or result in a dangerous situation in the treatment of a patient because of the stress placed on those health professionals. I implore the Government and I plead with the Minister to contact the chief executive officer of the Southern Area Health Service and make funds available to stop this nonsensical and dangerous practice being perpetrated at the Boorowa and Harden district hospitals. I await the Minister’s response.

Last modified 05/12/2007 16:29:00 : Update this page