NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam and Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner today announced a $543 million health policy to unblock emergency departments, reduce surgery waiting lists and support frontline nurses. 

“If there’s one thing the families and people of NSW expect from a State Government, it’s safe, timely and compassionate medical care,” Mr Debnam said.

“After 12 years of Labor, it’s simply not happening despite the best efforts of under-resourced frontline doctors and nurses. Emergency Departments are struggling to cope with demand and too many people are waiting too long for treatment,’ he said.

“If a government cannot guarantee the health of its citizens, of children, the elderly, the critically ill and the injured, if it cannot support the people trained and willing to care for the rest of us when we’re in need – then it has failed a fundamental test.”

To fix this problem, Peter Debnam and Jillian Skinner will:

• Create up to an additional 200 hospital ward beds to enable faster admission for emergency patients ($200 million);
• Establish six dedicated ‘after hours’ elective surgery operating theatres at Westmead, St George, Royal North Shore, John Hunter, Tamworth, and Orange Hospitals ($50 million);
• Provide additional incentives for doctors and theatre staff to keep these ‘After Hours’ theatres open and operating ($40 million);
• Fund an additional 20,000 elective surgery procedures ($45 million); and,
• Recruit an additional 500 nurses, fill existing nursing vacancies and retain more nurses by improving working conditions ($208 million).

Mrs Skinner said under Morris Iemma’s watch as Health Minister, waiting lists blew out to record highs. To claim the list has now fallen is deceitful, because Labor get it down before every election only to let it blow out straight after.

“Elected on a promise ‘signed in blood’ to halve waiting lists, Labor has presided over a health system with thousands more people waiting for surgery now than in 1995,” she said.

“Our ‘After Hours’ elective surgery operating theatres will reduce elective surgery waiting times, provide great certainty for patients by avoiding last minute cancellation of surgery and increase efficiency through better use of resources.

“The ‘After Hours’ elective surgery operating theatres will end the part-time hospital approach where major hospitals shut down for extended holiday periods.

“Access block – where very sick emergency patients who need to be admitted wait longer than eight hours for a bed in the wards – causes jammed Emergency Departments and holds up ambulance officers who must wait with their patients until there is room and staff are free.

“At present thousands of patients wait longer than they should in Emergency Departments, many of them in life-threatening condition and opening more ward beds will enable quicker movement through the Emergency Department.

“These commitments are in addition to our Budget Reply announcement of 500 new nurses and pledge to fill all current nurse vacancies.

“With insufficient nurses, hospital beds are closed and fewer patients can be admitted to hospital for treatment. This means longer waiting lists, jammed emergency departments, more ambulance delays, frustration, anger and disenchantment.

“After 12 years, Labor’s had long enough. Let’s fix NSW,” Mrs Skinner said.