‘Mrs Fix It’ and a new taskforce to tackle failings in NSW hospitals

The state’s new Minister for Regional Health has admitted her role was created to fix extensive failings in NSW regional hospitals unearthed by a parliamentary inquiry triggered by a two-year Herald investigation.

An expert taskforce will be established to advise NSW’s new Minister for Regional Health, Bronnie Taylor, on the state’s regional hospitals crisis, following reporting that exposed shocking allegations of dysfunction within the system.

New Regional Health Minister Bronnie Taylor has vowed to fix the crisis in the state’s regional hospitals. Credit: Steven Siewert

A series of stories published by the Herald uncovered multiple allegations of people dying in hospitals with no doctors on site, cooks, cleaners and tea ladies looking after patients, basic supplies running out and preventable deaths being covered up.

It came on a day of evidence at budget estimates in NSW Parliament on Thursday in which it was revealed less than half the NSW Health workforce have received their booster jab.

Just 41 per cent of the NSW Health staff have received their booster shot, below the state average of about 56 per cent of adults boosted.

Nationals MLC and the state’s first Minister for Regional Health, Ms Taylor, was questioned about her new role, created in December.

She will assume responsibility for nine regional local health districts, although Health Minister Brad Hazzard will remain the senior minister in their cluster.

Minister Taylor admitted her appointment was due to the “issues brought to the fore” by the parliamentary inquiry, and the realisation the government “need[ed] to do better”.

“For the NSW National party there was a real push from us to say that we need to have a real focus on rural and regional health issues,” she said, noting that she would focus on addressing workforce staffing issues.

“The inquiry deserves that response,” she said.

Minister Taylor was queried about the reason for her appointment by Greens MP Cate Faehrmann.

“So you come in as a result ... of some of the crises that have been highlighted during the regional health inquiry, some of the failings,” Ms Faehrmann said.

“You’ve come in as ‘Mrs Fix It’, is that right?’

“Well I hope so Ms Faerhmann, I think that will be for you to judge when I’ve had a bit more time in the job,” Minister Taylor responded.

The inquiry was inundated with more than 700 submissions as it travelled across the state for hearings.

It examined the Herald’s reports of a baby dying after its X-ray results were never checked, a woman who bled to death in an emergency department with no doctors on site and twin tragedies which struck the fathers of journalists Jamelle Wells and Liz Hayes.

Liz Hayes and Jamelle Wells fronted an inquiry into regional hospitals to speak about the treatment of their fathers.

Minister Taylor promised to re-establish a rural and regional health ministerial advisory taskforce, a body that was dissolved after former Health Minister Jillian Skinner left her post.

The taskforce would likely consist of clinicians, chief executives, the Rural Doctors’ Association and other “influential” people in regional health, she said.

“Everything is on the table in terms of how we look at things,” Minister Taylor said.

At the hearing it was confirmed that 41 per cent of the NSW Health workforce have received their booster shot, according to the latest data which dates back to February 21.

Of the metropolitan workforce, 43 per cent had received their third dose, compared to 41 per cent of the regional and rural workforce.

NSW Health Deputy Secretary Phil Minns said the data was likely to be an underestimation because there was a lag in recording vaccinations that took place privately. He also admitted workload demands were weighing on staff decision-making.

“We probably have had a sentiment from staff of just please don’t ask me to do something else right at the moment,” Mr Minns said.

“We’re hopeful that as the situation is recovering … that we’ll be able to go back to ask and ask them to complete that [third dose].”