Manning Base Hospital upgrades confirmed for Taree site by MP Stephen Bromhead

A long-awaited commitment to deliver promised upgrades to the Manning Base Hospital was confirmed on Thursday with work to start on the $100m project this year.

Early Artist impressions of the 2018 redevelopment of Manning Base Hospital.

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The guessing game on when, or if, the NSW Government would follow through on a pre-election pledge to upgrade the Manning Base Hospital is over with plans now locked in to commence the project.

More than $100 million will be spent on completing stage II of the Taree hospital redevelopment, first flagged as part of a pre-election spend by the Coalition, but until Thursday,  had not been confirmed.

Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead, who has fought 'tooth and nail' for the funding, put the community's angst to rest  by declaring that scaffolding and fencing would be erected this year, pending the ability to navigate a smooth passage past the current COVID-restricted climate.

Myall Lakes MP Stephen Bromhead with Deputy Premier John Barilaro at Manning Base Hospital. Pic Daniel Mills

“I know access to quality healthcare is a huge issue for communities in Myall Lakes and in the lead-up to the last Budget I fought tooth and nail in Parliament to ensure we secured this funding," he said.

"We should see scaffolding and fencing by the end of this year. It would be fantastic to see that happening, COVID is always in play but it would be great to see that happening."

Mr Bromhead was joined on Thursday by the NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro to announce the extra $100 million  on stage II, which is an extension to the recently completed $40 million redevelopment delivered under stage I.

A project planning team has now been established, which will nut out the design requirements prior to construction starting.

Planning will consider expanded and upgraded inpatient accommodation, medical and surgical services as well as a range of clinical support services to enhance access to improved patient care and facilities.

Mr Barilaro said the appointment of the project team:"is an important milestone stage to get on with the delivery of this hospital in a timely matter, in line with what the community wants and what the staff want."

"The building component seems to be always the fastest and easiest part," he said.

MRI facilities delivered under Stage I of the Manning Base Hospital upgrade. Pic Daniel Mills

"It's actually the planning and making sure we are engaging the community so that we are delivering a hospital not just for today but for the future as well.

"You've got to get it right," he said. "You've got to plan for the future.

"Off the back of COVID, regional NSW is thriving and people are not only choosing the visit but choosing to live in the regions so if you put the right planning around infrastructure, health infrastructure, education what we're finding is that families wanting to live in the regions, and the bush again.

Mr Barilaro said the new project team will focus on master planning for the next stage which will provide a clear framework to inform priority areas.

“This is a critical step in the continued growth of the hospital which will deliver a boost to Myall Lakes and surrounding communities by creating local jobs and increased activity for businesses.”

"We're taking this opportunity to build the infrastructure like hospitals in the regions and attract families and future proof the regions for the future.

The process involved in delivering a public hospital.

"I've had the pleasure of visiting this hospital [before] and I've walked through the floors and they were built for a time, a very different era where small rooms where you put four or five beds in one room but that's changed," he said.

"The planning around new hospitals, open spaces, and more importantly about the services you require [has changed] .. we're building for the future.

"If you want to attract good staff, if you want to attract nurses, doctors and allied health professionals you've got to build hospitals in the first instance and we know we've got an issue in the bush when it comes to service delivery.

"Let's build the right hospitals, and if we safely build it, they will come and I hope this does attract more good staff."

The newly appointed project team will comprise of Health Infrastructure, Hunter New England Local Health District, Mace (consultant Project Manager), BVN (Architect) and MBM (Quantity Surveyor).

This funding is in addition to the $100 million investment in Stage Two of the Rural Ambulance Infrastructure Reconfiguration program which will deliver new ambulance stations in Forster and Old Bar.

EARLIER:

HOSPITAL FUNDING UNCERTAINTY  CONTINUES

On October 23,2020

NSW Government parliamentary secretary and Myall Lakes state Nationals MP Stephen Bromhead called on his own government to “show me the money” and allocate much-needed funding for the two hospitals.

National Party MP Stephen Bromhead.

“It has been announced that $100 million will be granted for the stage two redevelopment of the Manning Base Hospital and that clinical services plans are underway in relation to a public hospital in Forster,” Mr Bromhead said in parliament this week.

“The clinical services plan has been underway for some time now — It was delayed slightly by the COVID pandemic but is now complete — I am now calling on the Government to fund planning for the Manning Base Hospital and the Forster Public Hospital.”

An outpouring of need for a hospital in Forster for decades lead to the community raising funds themselves to purchase land and build the Cape Hawke Community Private Hospital.

“The purpose was to have a precinct set aside in case a public hospital was ever provided,” Mr Bromhead said.

Manning Base Hospital $40 million upgrade was completed, however, stage two plans have not been funded.

“Already we have public renal dialysis chairs, public chemotherapy chairs and public rehabilitation beds — there are 69 beds, a rehabilitation swimming pool and pathology and X-ray services.

“A number of medical clinics and specialties surround that precinct (and) attached to the hospital is about 32 vacant blocks of land and there is the airspace above.”

But a NSW Health Infrastructure spokeswoman wouldn’t commit to funding planning works for the hospitals, telling The Mid-North Coast News stage two of the Manning Base Hospital Redevelopment was due to start “prior to March 2023”.

Manning Base Hospital Stage Two work won’t start until 2023.

“Hunter New England Health recently submitted the Lower Mid-North Coast Clinical Services Plan to the NSW Ministry of Health for review,” the spokeswoman said.

“The clinical services plan outlines the services, direction and priorities for the Lower Mid-North Coast clinical services, including Manning Base Hospital and facilities for Forster-Tuncurry.”

However the review of the plan by NSW Health isn’t expected to be complete until “the first half of 2021”.

“The NSW Budget 2019-2020 Election Commitments confirmed planer for three new health projects including progressing planning for the Forster-Tuncurry facilities in the current term of Government,” she said.

A local health clinic practice manager said the area is in dire need of its own public hospital which is capable of providing essential emergency and inpatient services.

The woman, who only identified as Vicky, said the travel time to Manning Base Hospital at Taree is too far for a critical patient who might be suffering an emergency episode.

“For someone based at Pacific Palms or Bungwahl, for example, who needs urgent treatment - it’s about 30 minutes to Forster but closer to 70 minutes to Taree,” she said.

Manning Base Hospital's new CT scanner

“The distance is a problem. If someone has a heart attack out at Coomba Park, the ambulance takes 40 minutes to get there, and then the only other way to get there other than by road is by boat or by helicopter.”

Peak holiday periods, where the area can often triple in occupancy, also presents an issue for local physicians already at patient capacity.

“In the holiday period in particular, we see a doubling and tripling of occupancy and you see people coming in with all sorts of issues - lacerations, oyster cuts, fish hooks in their fingers and other problems that GPs could deal with, but if already overloaded with current patients, they would be better suited going to a public hospital,” she said.

“These could also be patients who want to bulk bill, and nearly every practice in Forster does not offer that. We can’t take any more patients as it is because we can’t fit them in.”