A milestone meeting was held in the chambers of the Tenterfield Shire Council offices on Friday, June 30 when heads of both the Hunter New England Local Health (HNELH )and Northern NSW Local Health (NNSWLH) districts meeting with local representatives to discuss dissatisfaction with the current service.
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The meeting comes as a result of Councillor John Macnish’s well-supported move for Tenterfield to leave behind its woes with HNELH and instead join NNSWLH, given the closer proximity of the latter’s Lismore base.
Mayor Peter Petty feels the meeting put Tenterfield ‘back on the map’ as far as HNELH is concerned, He said while HNELH has indicated it’s happy to work with any decision to transition to a different district, and Act of Parliament and the health minister’s approval would be required before it could happen.
The unexpected issue of needing the cooperation of Ambulance NSW was thrown into the mix, it being a separate body. Cr Petty said ambulance reps will need to be ‘in the room’ for future meetings.
He said Tenterfield Hospital staff had also expressed concerns about how any decision would affect them, and that they will be kept in the loop in future.
Meeting participants examined the pros and cons of a transition, particularly in the availability of allied health services. Cr Petty said the offerings would have to be at least as good as those currently available, although the geographic proximity of services should Tenterfield join NNSWLH would always be a bonus. He said with helicopter rescues taking patients back its Lismore base, the move just makes sense.
“There are 15 health areas in the state and Hunter New England Health is one of the biggest.”
Unfortunately for Tenterfield and its hospital, it’s at the end of the line in that vast area, and it shouldn’t be, according to Cr Petty. He’s keen to see more attention paid to the hospital and its facilities.
“We’re dealing with an old facility that’s 150 years old,” he said.
“We want to keep the building in good order. It’s something the community is proud of.”
MP Thomas George doesn’t feel the move is necessarily a foregone conclusion, with HNELH CEO Michael Di Rienzo indicating a willingness to work with the community and hospital to address concerns, and to ensure all services are available.
“We do need to look at patient transfers, but that’s a problem every hospital has and is not isolated to Tenterfield,” Mr George said.
“Together as a community we can continue to work with HNELH to address the issues, such as doctor availability at the hospital.”
