‘Moral compass has been reset’: Major changes coming to NSW hospitals after death of 2yo Joe Massa

The parents of a two-year-old who died after a routine visit to a Sydney hospital say the change is a reset of the ‘moral compass’ of the state’s health system.

The parents of a two-year-old boy who died following a routine visit to a Sydney hospital say the “moral compass” of NSW’s health department has been reset following sweeping new legislation introduced by the state government.

On Thursday, Premier Chris Minns announced the change for acute hospitals, banning all future public private partnerships from being imposed and preventing any future governments from entering into such partnerships that may limit control over hospital services, such as emergency, surgical and impatient assistance.

“Today we are announcing that under ‘Joe’s Law’, NSW will ban all future public private partnerships being imposed on the state’s acute hospitals,” Mr Minns said.

“As a Labor government, we believe critical public services like acute hospitals should remain in public hands, safeguarded from privatisation.”

Two-year-old Joe Massa who died after a routine visit to Northern Beaches Hospital. Picture: Supplied

He was wrongly trigged. Picture: Supplied

The move comes following the launch of a parliamentary inquiry into the death of two-year-old Joe Massa after he received care at the Northern Beaches Hospital.

The two-year-old was taken to the Sydney hospital on September 12 after he began vomiting.

Parents Elouise and Danny Massa say they were forced to wait for two hours to get a bed and Joe was wrongly trigged into a lower priority despite having a high heart rate and severe loss of fluid.

He was transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, where he suffered cardiac arrest about three hours after arriving at the emergency department.

He died as a result of brain damage.

His mother Elouise told reporters she was grateful for the government’s “swift” changes and inquiry into the Northern Beaches Hospital.

“Today, we feel that the moral compass in our health department has been reset,” she said.

“I think this legislation is a step in the right direction to ensuring that it is a safe hospital.

“We are taking those proactive steps with the state government in ensuring that Northern Beaches Hospital becomes a safe place, and putting in safeguards today to ensure that no future children, no one else has to go through what we’ve gone through.”

Parents Danny and Elouise Massa said the ‘moral compass’ of the state’s health system had been ’reset’. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park wrote to NSW parliament public accounts committee chair Jason Yat-Sen Li on Friday requesting an inquiry into the safety and quality of health services provided by Northern Beaches Hospital.

The sweeping new legislation forms part of the review into the Northern Beaches Hospital and will be introduced into the NSW Legislative Assembly, amending the Health Services Act 1997.

The scope of the inquiry will stretch back to October 2018 when the hospital began as a privately operated facility.

It will consider incidents at the hospital – including those the subject of serious adverse event reviews – and how the facility responded, along with the extent to which it implemented any changes prompted by those incidents.

The hospital was the subject of a similar parliamentary inquiry in 2019, which examined its operations and management.

The new proceedings will also examine which findings and recommendations from the previous inquiry have been implemented by the hospital.

remier Chris Minns’ legislation will ban all acute hospitals from ‘pursuing a private agenda’. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Elouise Massa holds a pair of her son’s shoes. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Minns said “the bottom lineis health care should not primarily be about making a profit”.

“It should be about saving lives and ensuring people get healthy,” he said.

“When you walk into an emergency department, you’re getting world-best treatment … you’re not worrying about the budget bottom line.

“You can get back to your family, you are protected, and you’re getting the world’s best care.

“Clearly, that didn’t happen for baby Joe.”

Mr Park welcomed the ban on any future government seeking a “privatisation agenda”.

“From the very beginning, we’ve adamantly opposed these sorts of arrangements – and we will continue to oppose them, now and into the future,” Mr Park said.

“What we are doing today is to deliver further protection of our hospitals – honouring the memory and legacy of toddler Joe Massa.

“Joe’s Law will mean that public hospitals which provide services such as emergency, surgical and inpatient services will be protected under this government and from any future government that wishes to enter into such partnerships with private providers.”

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the ban would protect the emergency, surgical and inpatient services across acute hospitals. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

In late February, Healthscope – the owner of 38 hospitals across Australia, including Northern Beaches Hospital – admitted there were “unacceptable failings” in Joe’s treatment and was “sorry that Joe did not receive the care he deserved at our hospital”.

“We agree with Joe’s parents, Elouise and Danny Massa, that every effort must be made to prevent such a tragedy occurring again and restore the confidence of the community in the hospital,” a statement from the operator read.

Healthscope confirmed a month later that it had entered into short-term forbearance arrangements with the requisite majority of its senior lenders until May, and had agreed to a short-term deferral with landlord Northwest Healthecare Proprties REIT.

“These arrangements provide time and enhanced liquidity for Healthscope to focus on agreeing a longer-term solution for the business with its key stakeholders,” the statement read.

“As part of these forbearance arrangements, Healthscope will commence preparations for a potential sale of the business and concurrently engage in broader restructure discussions with its key stakeholders.”

The premier confirmed the Northern Beaches Hospital would stay open, despite rumours of its potential sale. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Healthscope was acquired by Brookefield for $4.4bn in 2019, however the company is now more than $1bn in debt from rent payments among other costs, per reports from The Australian.

When asked about a potential sale of the hospital, Mr Minns said the government was “not going to rule out” the possibility of the state buying it back.

“We are going to, step-by-step, unveil our response to this terrible tragedy in the weeks ahead,” he told reporters.

“We’re not going to let Northern Beaches Hospital close its doors.”

Originally published as ‘Moral compass has been reset’: Major changes coming to NSW hospitals after death of 2yo Joe Massa