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November 9, 2017
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November 9, 2017
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
WE KNOW that many of our VMO and hospital doctor members are keenly watching developments in the public private partnership space. So here’s a brief update on what AMA (NSW)’s professional services team has been doing to represent the industrial interests of members in connection with two of the key PPP projects in NSW.
MAITLAND HOSPITAL
In July, the State Government announced a significant change to its PPP proposal for Maitland, confirming that a notfor-profit private operator would be approached to both build and run the new hospital. AMA (NSW) publicly welcomed this proposal, which we feel represents a strong commitment from the Government to progress the long-awaited hospital upgrade at Maitland and offer a significantly expanded range of services.
Although it will be some time before we know the identity of the new NFP operator – let alone the hiring model they will use – AMA (NSW) has already started the process of protecting members’ industrial interests. In particular, in a major win, we have already received assurances that TMF coverage will be extended to cover doctors who provide public services at the new hospital. We are also currently working to secure a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the current Medical Staff Council at Maitland and the Local Health District, to ensure the LHD engages in appropriate consultation with doctors about the industrial impacts of upcoming changes.
NORTHERN BEACHES HOSPITAL (NBH)
Development of the new Northern Beaches Hospital is now well advanced, and AMA (NSW) remains in regular communication with new operators, Healthscope. As part of our ongoing advocacy for members’ interests:
- We recently made a formal application to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for authorisation to bargain collectively on behalf of VMOs in negotiations with Healthscope. Because of the legal rules against anti-competitive conduct and cartel behaviour, without this authorisation AMA (NSW) could be restricted from advocating for the standard terms and conditions we feel Healthscope should include in the contracts it offers individual VMOs. The application is currently in the final stages of consideration by the ACCC and we expect approval to be granted in November.
- We continue to lobby the Ministry to extend direct TMF coverage to all doctors performing public work at NBH. Although Healthscope is required by its contract to fund and provide its own insurance for doctors performing public work, we feel that extending TMF cover provides additional certainty and protection for members.
- With assistance of a subcommittee of our Hospital Practice Committee, we are continuing regular consultations with Healthscope about how they intend to select VMOs and make appointments for NBH. In this regard, our primary objective is to ensure transparent and equitable selection principles are applied in a manner that doesn’t compromise public services at surrounding hospitals.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
If you would like to discuss the industrial impacts of any PPP projects, or get involved in our industrial negotiations more broadly, please contact our Senior Policy & Industrial Relations Advisor, Andrew Campbell, on ACampbell@amansw.com.au. Alternatively, for general information, or assistance with your individual contract negotiations, lodge an enquiry with our professional services team by emailing professionalservices@amansw.com.au.
Another Recent Win
Here’s another example of the great work our PS team does. In a win for the Kempsey community we’ve helped ensure extra physicians will now be recruited to work locally.
KEMPSEY District Hospital (KDH) in the Mid North Coast of NSW services a local government area of 29,000 people. Approximately 20% of the population is aged 65 years or over and this figure is expected to rise to 27% by 2026. An estimated 13% of the population identify as Indigenous. Kempsey has the most disadvantaged population of the Mid North Coast Local Health District with an index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage significantly lower than the national mid‐point.
The recent retirement of physicians and a failure to recruit new consultants has left KDH with only two local consultant physicians, which is well below the four physicians that would be expected of a hospital serving a population of that size and composition.
Mid North Coast LHD proposed that, rather than recruit two new physicians to the hospital, the roles would be networked through a ‘hub and spoke’ model which would see non-local physicians travelling to Port Macquarie on a rotating roster. Working closely with the KDH Medical Staff Council, AMA (NSW) lobbied the NSW Minister for Kempsey to review this decision. An external review was commissioned and led by former NSW Health Director General, Dr Michael Reid.
The outcome of the detailed review is a finding that the networked model would be insufficient for the complex requirements of the Kempsey community and a recommendation was made that additional consultant physicians be recruited to provide four local physicians at KDH. This recruitment process is currently underway.