Northern Beaches Hospital: Problems caused by bad planning, say staff

Staff at the new $600m Northern Beaches Hospital say they’ve had enough of the excuses and that Healthscope should admit problems are down to poor planning.

Exterior of Northern Beaches Hospital in Frenchs Forest. Picture: Julie Cross

• Hospital chiefs answer complaints
• Stressed nurses want to quit jobs

Staff say problems plaguing the new $600 million Northern Beaches Hospital are not teething issues but poor planning.

One clinician, speaking to the Manly Daily on the basis of anonymity, said Healthscope and politicians needed to be transparent to win over staff.

She said if they were, the staff were ready to get behind them.

“We are offended every time we hear the problems are just hiccups,” she said.

“Ten per cent is teething issues — 90 per cent is bad planning.”

Healthscope managing director and CEO Gordon Ballantyne, MP Brad Hazzard, Northern Beaches Hospital CEO Deborah Latta, surgeon Stuart Pincott and medical director Louise Messara out the front of the new hospital. Picture: Adam Yip / Manly Daily

She said staff were not surprised by the number of people coming through the doors, which was the reason Healthscope gave for the lack of staff and medical supplies, including basic drugs and bandages.

However, the insider said that the number of people who attended the Emergency Department was similar to what they had been seeing at Manly and Mona Vale hospitals combined.

There has been 3600 in 24 days.

Looking at last year’s figures calculated from an average of presentations recorded in the quarter October to December 2017 there was around 4000.

Other departments such as maternity — one of the easiest areas to predict — were also seeing similar numbers.

Double rooms in the public section of the Northern Beaches Hospital. Picture: Adam Yip / Manly Daily

There were 120 births in 24 days at Northern Beaches Hospital, around 10 more than usual.

“There was no excuse to get the numbers so wrong,” she said.

Staff also told the Manly Daily they were relieved that CEO Deborah Latta had resigned on Wednesday.

Many also said they believed medical director Dr Louise Messara should consider her position.

At a meeting of 150 doctors on Wednesday a vote of no confidence in Ms Messara was passed.

“Not one doctor voted in support of her,” said an attendee at the closed meeting. “That speaks volumes.

“Now the hospital is being cleansed, Healthscope has to own up to their own failings.

“We may have come from the public system but we want this hospital to work.

“We live in the community and we want to serve the people on the northern beaches. This is also our livelihood.”

One nurse said she wanted an apology from Healthscope for what it had put staff through. “It’s been like a war zone,” she said.

Reassurances that issues would be resolved have so far failed to materialise, with staff still reporting this week that it was like a lottery whether equipment they needed would be in cupboards and staff shortages.

But one person inspiring confidence is Healthscope’s chief medical officer Victoria Atkinson who reportedly gave a rousing speech which some said had given them a ray of hope that the company was listening to concerns and would take action.

Exterior of Northern Beaches Hospital in Frenchs Forest. Picture: Julie Cross.

The former cardiac surgeon, who has been in her Healthscope role for just four months, now needed to follow through, doctors at the meeting said.

“It’s the first bit of hope we have had since the hospital opened,” one said.

A Healthscope spokesman thanked staff for their tireless efforts.

He said since the first patient was transferred over three weeks ago, Northern Beaches Hospital has had over 1,000 ambulance arrivals and over 3,600 presentations at the Emergency Department.

The hospital has also conducted over 830 surgeries and 120 babies have been born.

“Opening a facility of this size and complexity is a huge operation and does come with challenges,” he said.

“We are entirely focused on remedying the process issues which are causing patient and staff frustrations.

“We have brought two different teams together — from Manly and Mona Vale Hospitals and have recruited additional staff. Teams are getting used to each other and the way they work.

“We are committed to measurable improvement every day.”