Over-the-bed cameras to be installed at Northern Beaches Hospital
Cameras will be installed on beds at the embattled Northern Beaches Hospital so staff can quickly seek advice from specialists when a child is facing an emergency.
Cameras will be installed on beds at the embattled Northern Beaches Hospital so staff can quickly seek advice from specialists when a child is facing an emergency, following a scathing inquiry into the facility’s quality of care.
The over-the-bed cameras are currently being installed in the emergency department, pediatric ward and specialist care nursery at the hospital, following the independent inquiry which found there was serious lack of this technology at the facility.
Once the cameras are up and running, they will allow staff at the privately-operated hospital to connect with specialists at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network when a child is critically ill or facing an emergency.
Images of the seriously ill babies and children will be transferred in real-time via the Newborn and Pediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS).
Previously, Northern Beaches Hospital did not have a connection to the NSW Health network which would have allowed staff to seek advice through video.
Clinicians could speak with the network via phone for advice in a neonatal or pediatric emergency, but the inquiry found this was not enough.
The inquiry came after the tragic death of two-year-old Joe Massa at the hospital last September, followed by the death of a newborn baby at the hospital in February.
Both incidents cast a spotlight on the quality of care at Northern Beaches Hospital, which runs under a private-public partnership between the NSW government and operator Healthscope.
The controversial model has since been banned in NSW following the passing of Joe’s Law earlier this year.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said specialist camera units were undergoing testing and would be switched on within a matter of weeks, after the inquiry report was released this month.
“One of the great benefits of these cameras is that when in use the NETS clinicians can become very involved in the care often acting as another pair of eyes,” Mr Park said.
“I hope this will provide some reassurance to the Northern Beaches community in light of the tragic death of Joe Massa.
“I would like to thank Joe’s parents, Elouise and Danny Massa, who have advocated tirelessly on behalf of the community for improvements to be made at Northern Beaches Hospital.”
The Minns government is still in negotiations with Healthscope and its receivers to work out a way to get the hospital back into public hands without paying millions of taxpayer dollars after Healthscope’s parent company, Brookfield, entered receivership in May.
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Originally published as Over-the-bed cameras to be installed at Northern Beaches Hospital
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