South West Sydney Health inquiry: Minister Brad Hazzard supports improved services, staff levels

Health Minister Brad Hazzard is supporting calls for a new hospital in the Aerotropolis, but said it won’t be needed until after 2030 despite a health crisis gripping the city’s south west.

Calls for a hospital to be built to service the burgeoning Western Sydney Aerotropolis have been supported by the NSW Government — but not for at least another ten years.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard handed down his government’s response to the South West Sydney Health Inquiry on Friday afternoon, supporting an overwhelming number of the 17 recommendations issued to the department.

The response follows a lengthy parliamentary inquiry into the health crisis gripping the city’s south western suburbs.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has released the government’s response into the inquiry. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

The Minister did not support inquiry chair Greg Donnelly’s plea for the government to address “historical underfunding of health and hospital services in South West Sydney”.

Mr Hazzard told the inquiry the local health district’s budget is “over $2 billion, an increase of more than $55 million on the previous financial year”.

“The funding allocation was negotiated between SWSLHD and NSW Health to ensure patient care standards are met,” Mr Hazzard said. “The NSW Health funding model has self-correction mechanisms which operate to ensure that SWSLHD’s budget increases in order to address the changing needs of South West Sydney.”

However, in the lead up to the 2020 inquiry, NewsLocal revealed south west Sydney residents were budgeted $800 less per person than the Sydney LHD each year.

Figures tendered the inquiry revealed the budget for the South Western Local Health District has been set at $1700 per resident — 30 per cent less than the $2500 budgeted for those who live in the Sydney Local Health District.

Pictured outside Campbelltown Hospital is Macarthur federal Labor MP Dr Mike Freelander who has hit out over a lack of funding for health services in South West Sydney, telling a NSW Parliamentary inquiry the local health district was in dire need of funding. Picture: Richard Dobson

THE GREAT DIVIDE — SYDNEY’S HEALTH CRISIS

Part One: south west patients funded $800 less per person than Sydney residents

Part Two: south west patients forced to travel hours for treatment

Part Three: leaders are calling for a new hospital at Aerotropolis

Part Four: 24,000 new medical students needed to fight west’s growth

Part Five: Patients waiting 300 days for surgery in south west Sydney

Part Six: south west teens shock youth suicide numbers as specialist staff numbers revealed

Part Seven: Claims health department removed beds from state’s busiest EDs

Part Eight: Where mini-metro hospitals will be built across Sydney

Part Nine: Kids enduring 18-month wait times for paediatric services

Part Ten: Hospital staff reveal hospital horror stories in calls for funding

Part Eleven: ‘Young doctors committing suicide over workloads’, inquiry hears

Part Twelve: NSW Government delisted land earmarked for hospital

Part Thirteen: NSW Health failed to assess hospital development projects

Part Fourteen: Liverpool, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital redevelopments: bid to fast track hospital openings

Part Fifteen: Blacktown Hospital baby deaths: more obstetricians committed, emergency theatre opens

Part Sixteen: South West Sydney Health inquiry: finds historic underfunding’, calls for Aerotropolis hospital

But Mr Hazzard said the funding model considered population and age factors, as well as demographic and socio-economic factors.

The government also supported recommendations by Mr Donnelly to address major issues at Liverpool Hospital regarding after-hours radiology and ultrasound services, resources for emergency surgery and the growing number of vacant positions needing to be filled.

“While the current operating theatres run near capacity daily, the Liverpool Hospital redevelopment includes three additional theatres”.

He also issued support for the “immediate fill” of vacant positions in the ED, mental health and obstetrics departments at Campbelltown Hospital.

Pictured outside Campbelltown Hospital is Kathleen Warren with her son Cohen Leota-lu (8). Cohen was transferred to Randwick Hospital for surgery, meaning Kathleen had to commute to Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

The minister said he supported calls for a “real time system of health data reporting across local health districts” and the reintroduction of a 24-hour GP clinic in the region to “reduce pressure on the emergency department”.

At Fairfield Hospital, calls for increased operating theatres, the replacement of ageing equipment and improvement of kidney dialysis treatment were also supported.

When it comes to increasing the number of paramedics in the region, Mr Hazzard said he also supported the inquiry’s calls for more ambos, revealing a further 41 full time paramedics had been hired to service Liverpool, Campbelltown and Macquarie Fields stations since 2018, with more hires planned this year.

Meanwhile, the addition of another hospital in the city’s south west would be addressed as part of an “integrated health hub” for primary care and outreach services.

However, Mr Hazzard said hubs called for in the Western Sydney Aerotropolic wouldn’t be required until after 2030.

Artist impressions of the $790 redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital. Pictures: Supplied

Shadow Health spokesman Ryan Park said the Minister needed to “put the money where his mouth is” and fund an urgent increase in staffing levels, and services, at south west Sydney hospitals.

“What the community in this region need is a timeline to make these supported recommendations a reality,” Mr Park said.

Shadow Health spokesman Ryan Park. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard.

“I am deeply disappointed that one of the fastest growing regions in NSW are still provided second-class treatment, services and staffing levels.”

He also questioned the government’s lack of planning and infrastructure roll out for a hospital in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.

Shadow Western Sydney spokesman Greg Warren said the minister’s response to the inquiry “falls well short of community expectations”.

Campbelltown State Labor MP Greg Warren hit out of the lack of substance in the government’s response.

“People in South West Sydney want to see action from the Minister for Health, not listen to excuses,” he said. “Emergency Departments are clearly still understaffed but the Minister is refusing to acknowledge blatantly obvious fact.”