The minister dropped in for a surprise visit on December 30, ironically on one of the hospital's quieter days given the season. Ms Saffin said she's confident that as health minister Mr Hazzard recognises that the hospital has its normal and not-so-busy days.

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She said she appreciates the minister's attention, which has been evident from the outset, to the campaign to return the hospital roster to three nurses per shift. She also as recently as Monday sought feedback from Cross Border Commissioner James MacTavish and the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association for feedback on an official sanction of interstate transfers of patients, but none is forthcoming at this point.

She hears that some people are still presenting to Stanthorpe Hospital to avoid the border issue, and can understand that when it comes to health matters peace-of-mind takes priority. Cr Sauer is keen to encourage patients to present to Tenterfield in the first instance, to boost the statistics for a better-resourced medical facility.

Hunter New England Local Health District is now reporting interstate patient transfers on a monthly basis, but Ms Saffin said this data needs to be verified.

She said these are not new issues but now everyone is working together collaboratively to address them.

Mr Hazzard was phoning around MPs on Monday to assess needs in individual electorates in the face of current and past bushfires and Ms Saffin said they had a good talk about the issues. In her case the discussion centred on ensuring adequate mental health support services were available during the ongoing crisis.

"Not everyone will want it, but for those who do we have to make sure these services are there in a way that's not intrusive," she said.

There was also discussion around backup power supplies for pharmacies should they lose power due to fire or other emergency, to ensure medications are kept at the correct storage temperature.