No promise to fund new hospital by 2007: GSAHS

As the heat continues to be turned up over claims the government has reneged on promises to commit funds by 2007 to the building of a new Tumut hospital, a spokesman for Greater Southern Area Health Service has suggested no such undertaking had ever been given.

But with a new Area Service Plan to be presented to a public meeting in Tumut last night (Thursday), the chairman of the Tumut Health Service Planning Committee, Allan Tonkin, says he believes the plan will alleviate some of the concern by having a formal planning document and projected timetable to which the government would be answerable.

Mr Tonkin said the recently formed community campaign committee that was lobbying hard was justified in having concerns over the confusion as to if and when Tumut would get a new hospital, particularly since the merger of the Greater Murray Area Health Service into Greater Southern.

A GSAHS spokesperson has claimed no timetable had ever been set, other than that Tumut would follow the construction of a new hospital for Wagga.

The spokesperson said Tumut was still a priority, but Wagga had a higher priority.

The Area Health Service Plan presented at the public meeting at the Tumut RSL Club at 5.30 p.m. yesterday recommends that "the complete redevelopment of Tumut Health Service be included on the NSW Health capital works program and that planning for a new facility should commence within the next 3-5 years."

It calls for action whereby GSAHS is to "confirm Tumut Health Service as a priority for redevelopment".

It also documents action whereby NSW health would be lobbied "to identify Tumut Health Service as a priority and to include on its capital works program with planning to commence within 3-5 years"

It further recommends that in the meantime there should be a facility review and a site master plan developed to outline possible short term (3-5 years) solutions to the current infrastructure problems at the Tumut Hospital and Community Health Centre

It states this short term refurbishment needs to be catered for in GSAHS's capital works program and include as a priority improvement of the emergency department environment, improved access to Community Health and a consideration of the relocation of the maternity wards within the hospital.

The latter would see a small committee established to undertake a review of the maternity unit relocation and to make recommendations.

Other recommendations contained within the implementation section of the Health Plan include:

• Attracting additional GPs, proceduralists, obstetricians and GP anaesthetists;

• Providing additional surgical activity;

• Encouragement of local clinicians in a surgical services Network;

• Establishment of cardiac and/ or pulmonary rehabilitation programs in the Southern Slopes cluster;

• Introduction of a case management and/ or care co-ordination service to support people with chronic illness, cancer and/or palliative care;

• Development of a web-based service directory for the Tumut region;

• Advocate for additional respite care services;

• Development of an interagency approach to addressing depression and mental illness, including raising community awareness of mental illness and trialing methods of prevention, early intervention and treatment appropriate for the Tumut community;

• Development of criteria for maternity admissions, and review the relocation of the maternity unit;

• Introduction of aboriginal cultural awareness training for all health service staff;

• A review of the location of the Tumut dental Service, to include at least the hospital site or another school location;

• Increasing the level of pharmacy support to meet Level 3 criteria

• Improved access to public or affordable ultrasound services, including possible development of service level agreement with the current private provider to increase access to bulk billing; introduction of transport support to the wagga service, and/ or other alternatives

• Identification of opportunities to increase the use of telehealth and the enhancement of health-related transport;

• Increase staff forums, carry out an annual review of the staff profile, identify strategies to address workforce shortages.

TUMUT & ADELONG TIMES

Friday, November 4, 2005