Public Health System

Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [1.42 p.m.]: As a local member, and a member of the Opposition, the feedback I sometimes give to the public health system is derived from the many complaints that are received in my office. Today I will break that mould and talk about the very good health professionals in the New South Wales public health system. On the weekend my young son Nathaniel, who is five years old, suffered a serious accident. He fell about four metres from an internal balcony in our house and landed on a cement floor covered only by carpet and some underlay. He was pretty badly hurt and, naturally, his mother and I were very concerned.

Immediately following the accident he was seriously distressed, he could not walk—he was only able to crawl—and he had a large lump on his head. We immediately took him to the Wauchope District Memorial Hospital, where the staff were nothing short of fantastic. I refer in particular to nurse Bridie who looked after us immediately, but all the nurses were excellent in their response. The local doctor on call, Dr Brenton Schuetz—with whom I surf from time to time on the mid North Coast—came to the hospital almost immediately to assess Nathaniel. Nathaniel was put in a neck brace and hooked up to a drip for transportation to Port Macquarie Base Hospital. The service we received was outstanding and timely for a young fellow who was not only very distressed but also was a little overawed by being in a hospital where doctors were poking and prodding him.

Our experience continued in the back of the ambulance with paramedic Nerida and her partner as we were transported to Port Macquarie Base Hospital. I cannot speak highly enough of the paramedics based at Wauchope who make the trip to Port Macquarie Base Hospital all too often. On arrival at that hospital we were ushered into the emergency department—I am pleased to say that that department will receive some interim funds from the Government to make it more operational. Some wonderful nurses saw to us almost immediately—I do not know their names but they will know who they are. They were terrific with young Nathaniel, my wife, Cathy, and me. An outstanding young doctor named Matt—again I do not know his surname but he appeared to be of Kiwi origin—left no stone unturned in performing the appropriate tests to ensure that Nathaniel was not suffering from a serious spinal injury or a skull fracture—the very things that we feared.

This story has a very good ending, which does not only involve my breaking the mould and praising our health professionals and the health system in general: young Nat, as we call him, has almost fully recovered. The doctors were amazed that within a few hours of such a fall Nat was walking and talking as the chirpy, normal little boy that he is. Although he has a bump on his head, a bruise on his chest, and a sore foot, there appears to be no significant injury. That said, the treatment that he, my wife and I received at the hands of these young health professionals contributed to the outstanding outcome. We were in the emergency department of the Port Macquarie Base Hospital on a Saturday evening when staff were battening down the hatches for a traditional Saturday night, but nothing was too much trouble for them.

Mr Kerry Hickey: It is a great health system.

Mr ANDREW STONER: It is a very good health system with very good people in it. However, it could be better managed and better funded, but that is the province of the Government, which should do more to support the wonderful doctors and nurses in our public hospital system. I would be happy to debate the matter with the member for Cessnock any day.

Mrs KARYN PALUZZANO (Penrith—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.47 p.m.]: I send the wishes of the Government to the Leader of The Nationals, his wife and son Nathaniel. The Leader of The Nationals has outlined what would be a traumatic experience for any family, but his experience shows that health care in New South Wales remains an important priority for the Government. As outlined in today's mini-budget, the public health system in New South Wales is a top-spending priority.

The Minister for Health and the New South Wales public health system will continue to offer universal and high quality health care in tough economic times but, like all government agencies, it must strive to achieve further efficiencies. The service outlined by the Leader of The Nationals was delivered with commitment and passion, whether it was the ambulance service, the first triage nurse at Wauchope District Memorial Hospital or staff in the emergency department of the Port Macquarie Base Hospital. I thank those workers and I thank the Premier for keeping health the key priority of the New South Wales mini-budget.