Health Minister slams inquiry into Northern Beaches Hospital

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has slammed the public inquiry into the privately-run Northern Beaches Hospital, claiming it will ‘impact on staff morale’.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the public inquiry into the Northern Beaches Hospital was a distraction.

• Northern Beaches Hospital inquiry to go ahead
• Push to reveal financial health of Northern Beaches Hospital

Wakehurst MP and Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the public inquiry into the privately-run Northern Beaches Hospital was a distraction and unfair on hard-working staff.

On Thursday Labor’s Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord saw his motion for an inquiry voted through by the NSW Legislative Council.

He said the hospital had been operating under a “cloak of secrecy” and that the wide-ranging inquiry was about transparency.

The Northern Beaches Hospital. Picture: (AAP IMAGE)

It could see witnesses compelled to give evidence, documents subpoenaed, and staff and patients give evidence under parliamentary privilege.

However, Mr Hazzard said while there were challenges setting up a new hospital, the inquiry was a political ploy and he was worried about staff morale. “This is a cynical exercise by a Labor Party that never delivered any new health facilities for northern beaches residents and now is focusing on being wreckers, not builders,” he said.

“It is not fair to the staff who are working hard for patients and it is a distraction which will impact on staff morale.”

Shadow minister Walt Secord has pushed for the inquiry. Picture: AAP IMAGE

The NSW Legislative Council’s Portfolio Committee No. 2 — Health will head the inquiry and is expected to report by the first sitting day in 2020.

Mr Secord said it would look at the operation, standards of care, management, contracts, staffing and maintenance of the hospital, as well as the possible $4.4 billion takeover of private operator Healthscope by investment firm Brookfield. The $600m hospital has been exempt from the Auditor-General’s examination due to its status as a private-public partnership (PPP).

Mr Secord said the inquiry was about providing the best possible patient care and in order to do that the privatised Northern Beaches Hospital “must be subject to the same scrutiny and held to the same standards as all other NSW public hospitals”.

The Save Mona Vale Hospital group said it supported the inquiry and that it hoped it would lead to Mona Vale Hospital reopening as a Level 3 acute care hospital with services such as emergency, surgery and maternity, that supports the new Northern Beaches Hospital.

New Warringah MP Zali Steggall. Picture: AAP Image.

The hospital’s acute services were downgraded after the new hospital in Frenchs Forest opened.

New independent MP for Warringah Zali Steggall also welcomed the inquiry saying she wanted to make sure taxpayers were getting top health care and value for their $2 billion investment.

“I am concerned about the deals that have been done and whether they ensure provision of the best health services,” she said. “Northern beaches residents deserve to be confident they will get the best hospital care when they need it.”

Meanwhile, Healthscope refused to comment on the inquiry but said the hospital would “continue to strengthen, grow and provide quality healthcare services for our local community”.

“We are proud of our amazing people who continue to focus on what matters most to our patients, providing high quality clinical outcomes and exceptional patient care,” a spokesman said.