Planned Maitland hospital will not meet community needs

AMA (NSW) President, Dr Saxon Smith, says the planned New Hunter Valley Hospital will not meet community demand for health services.

“The proposed funding of $400 million will fail to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population in the Lower Hunter.

“The Government is seeking to revert to a hospital design which will result in a facility that falls short of community needs.

“This is a very disappointing result from the Government,” Dr Smith said.

“A report commissioned for the Hunter New England LHD in 2014 found the population of the local government area for Maitland is expected to increase by 44 per cent by 2031.

“Maitland has one of the fastest growing populations in NSW and the hospital the Government is planning would barely be adequate for today’s residents.

“Let alone the numbers it will be needing to treat within a few years,” Dr Smith said.

“The Medical Staff Council of Maitland Hospital contributed extensively to the consultation process to determine the needs of the community.

“They are calling for an urgent meeting with the LHD and the Government to discuss this issue,” Dr Smith said.

“According to the Government’s own record-keeping, NSW hospitals are now seeing 25 per cent more patients in emergency departments than they were five years ago.

“The Bureau of Health Information has been recording quarter on quarter growth in demand for all hospital services since it started reporting its data in 2010.

“The New Hunter Valley Hospital needs to be built to be sufficient for tomorrow’s demand, not just today’s,” Dr Smith said.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones (02) 9902 8113 / 0419 402 955