The future is looking bleak for Northern Beaches Hospital.
Northern Beaches Hospital is under a Private Public Partnership (PPP), where company Healthscope operates and maintains the hospital. According to the PPP between the NSW Government and Healthscope, the hospital is to provide public patient services until 2038.
Healthscope dropped the value of the business by almost $1billion following losses up to December 2023. As a result, serious doubts have been expressed over whether the public-private hospital can continue running with the amount of debt Healthscope have accrued.
Healthscope recently announced cuts to the maternity and mental health services at Northern Beaches Hospital. Reducing staff, cutting back on full-time nurses, and reorganising shifts are among the changes. Healthscope claim that the changes will not lead to an erosion of patient care and will not compromise on the quality of NBH’s service.
The imminent cuts have caused a stir within the community.
‘The decision to reduce staffing levels amidst ongoing systemic issues at the hospital is alarming,’ says Michael Regan, Member for Wakehurst, in a recent statement. ‘Healthscope and the hospital management need to reverse these proposed cuts. They must prioritise the well-being of both patients and staff.’
Both Michael Regan and Dr Sophie Scamps, Member for Mackellar, have written to NSW Minister for Health, Ryan Park, expressing their and their constituents’ concerns. More directly, Member Scamps is displeased with the operation structure of Northern Beaches Hospital, maintaining that privatising the service has disadvantaged the public.
‘I am deeply worried about whether Northern Beaches Hospital, which is run as private-public partnership, is delivering the standard of care that my constituents should legitimately expect,’ says Member Scamps. ‘It is not acceptable that the 350,000 people who live in the Northern Beaches and surrounds should have a lesser service because of the ownership structure of the hospital.’
Serious requests for the NSW Auditor General’s performance audit of the hospital to be fast-tracked have been made by both Member Regan and Member Scamps.