The State Government has set up a taskforce to examine the future of the ‘disastrous’ private public partnership (PPP), NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has announced. Negotiations are yet to start over how operator Healthscope will hand back the public side of hospital to the government, as announced last week.
The taskforce, made up of Treasury, NSW Health and the Cabinet Office, will engage with Healthscope management.
“I’m not prepared to sit and wait on this,” Minister Mookhey said. “I want to know the options now, so we are prepared for any negotiations. That’s why I’ve directed the taskforce to begin work immediately.”
Since the parents of toddler Joe Massa went public over their child’s death at the hospital less than two months ago, caused by failure of staff to follow its REACH emergency department protocol, the government has been swift to act.
Health Minister Ryan Park said that a Labor Government would ‘never’ have entered into a public/private partnership, and just a few weeks ago passed ‘Joe’s law’ which will ban all future PPPs being imposed on the state’s acute hospitals.
“It’s clear the community isn’t satisfied with this model,” Minister Park said. “I understand the community’s impatience, and I recognise the community deserves certainty.
“It’s important we get this right and this taskforce is a critical first step in untangling a complex transaction left by the previous Liberal Government.”
Elouise Massa said PPPs ‘should never have been allowed to happen.’
“The announcement that Healthscope wants to hand the Northern Beaches Hospital back to the NSW Government is a big win for the Northern Beaches community and for Joe,” Ms Massa said. “This is the best possible outcome for the local community and sends a strong message from healthcare providers that there is no place to mix profit with public healthcare in NSW and across Australia.”
Elouise and husband Daniel are now calling on Northern Beaches locals to ‘speak up’ and make a submission to the hospital inquiry, which is looking into ‘safety and quality’ at the Frenchs Forest facility.
We urge anyone who has had an experience at Northern Beaches Hospital to make a submission to the inquiry.
“Your stories are critical,” Ms Massa said. “They will help ensure the (inquiry) committee has a complete picture, enabling accurate and informed decision-making.
“If we don’t speak up, then meaningful change will remain out of reach.
“What happened to Joe is not an isolated incident. It reflects a deeper crisis in our health system, where cost-cutting and corporate interests too often take priority over patient safety. We cannot allow this to continue.”
Submissions can be made by clicking this link to the committee website by 20 May.
