The Northern Beaches Hospital (NBH) has transferred to the public health system, ending eight-years of the public private partnership under Healthscope.
An operational command centre has been set up at the hospital to support the transition and the first days of the handover.
The campaign for the public handover was spurred after the tragic death of toddler Joe Massa, who died after failures in care at the emergency department (ED). Parents Eloise and Danny argued that a private operator should never be in charge of an ED, and the State Government answered their campaign with a series of legislative changes. This included passing Joe’s Law, which will prevent any future private public partnerships.
Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps, who has long campaigned to oust Healthscope, said the transition ‘heralds the end of Healthscope’s management of NBH, which was plagued with persistent operational issues, including chronic understaffing and untenable workloads, creating risks to patient care.
“I want to thank the many community members, hospital staff, clinicians, and patients who have worked tirelessly on this transition to ensure the Northern Beaches community has access to quality, safe and equitable care.”
As part of the transition, more than 1,800 Northern Beaches Hospital staff – including nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals and support staff – have now joined the NSW Health team.
The government said that following the transition of the hospital to public ownership, the Northern Beaches community ‘can be assured they will continue to have access to private services until 30 June 2027.’ It added: “The government continues to work with the community and clinicians to finalise and implement a long-term plan for private services.”
As well as bringing the hospital back into public hands the NSW Government is establishing the state’s first High Volume Planned Surgery Centre at Northern Beaches Hospital, expanding the hospital’s role and helping reduce surgery wait times across NSW.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said: “Bringing this hospital back into public hands means the people of the Northern Beaches can have confidence their hospital is being run in the public interest.
“This will also have a positive impact on the broader NSW Health system when the surgical centre is up and running absorbing some of the pressure from the rest of system.”
Healthscope CEO Nicole Waldron expressed her pride in the Northern Beaches team and the exceptional care they have provided for the Northern Beaches community. “I want to recognise and thank the dedicated, professional and compassionate team at NBH,” Ms Waldron said.
“Over the past couple of years, the team have worked under unprecedented public scrutiny, throughout which they have never faltered in their commitment to deliver outstanding care for their patients.”
“The dedication, experience and expertise of our team has seen NBH consistently leading its peer hospitals on a range of key clinical measures as seen in NSW Bureau of Health Information data.
“I could not be prouder of the NBH team and all that they have achieved, and how they have built and shaped a hospital and culture that delivers excellent patient care. I know that those who are transitioning with the hospital will continue to provide outstanding care to their community,” Ms Waldron said.