NSW Health Minister Ryan Park answers questions on Albury hospital redevelopment
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park answers questions on Albury hospital redevelopment
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00:00 In my last few minutes I'd like to come back to the Albury Hospital
00:02 redevelopment please and we will keep doing this every estimate until
00:05 Albury-Wodonga has a single site hospital that actually meets the needs
00:08 of our region. I've been trying to get my head around
00:11 why the points of care projection, so the predicted need for the hospital
00:15 was revised down between the 2021 master plan
00:18 which we released through an order in the Upper House and the 2022
00:22 clinical services plan, especially given that the population growth in Albury-
00:25 Wodonga is much higher than previously anticipated because of COVID.
00:29 I wonder if the answer is in Ms Wach's answer this morning that the scope
00:33 will be prioritised in order to meet the funding that's available.
00:37 Is that why the points of care predictions were actually revised down?
00:43 That document would have proceeded, took place before I was in government
00:49 so I don't want to make judgments over the last
00:52 minister and ministers in relation to that. That was the unwise.
00:55 That's right. You've committed to maintaining their
00:58 their redevelopment plan for the hospital. We have
01:02 because Chair, I understand that yourself and other members of the
01:08 community think there is a different way of doing
01:11 the hospital in a way that. Sorry I'm just going to correct you Mr,
01:14 it's not that I think, it's that the extensive 2021 master planning process
01:18 clearly recommended a greenfield build. So it's not just my opinion.
01:22 But all of our hospitals need to make sure that they are
01:28 effective, they deliver the health services the community needs but
01:31 it is done in a budgetary environment and that is,
01:35 I'm not going to pretend that it's not. I'm in a party that seeks to form
01:39 government as is the opposition and respectfully Chair, that won't be a
01:45 responsibility that you have to face but it is one
01:48 that I have to face and I take it seriously.
01:51 It's not being disrespectful. It is that I do
01:54 have a budget. I have to make sure that I'm delivering the best health services
01:58 for the best value for money to make sure it gets to the most people.
02:02 I believe that the plan that we have in place,
02:05 although not everyone is supportive of it, will certainly
02:09 enhance health services. I think from memory
02:13 when I went through the last deliberations of this committee in
02:17 preparation for this, I spent some time on it.
02:19 You asked me about bed numbers I think from that time.
02:22 I think we're looking at around about a 50% increase
02:26 in bed numbers from what is currently from 2019. So that is
02:33 a substantial increase in services that I think you as someone who's very
02:39 interested in it would at least acknowledge
02:41 is going to happen. Sorry I've only got a minute left. So Albury Hospital currently
02:45 operates at a deficit of about 60 beds every day.
02:48 So when you say a 50% increase, does that even cover the deficit we've got now
02:51 let alone the projected need for this community into the future? You're
02:54 spending, Victoria and New South Wales together
02:57 spending $558 million. Does it actually get us a better health
03:01 service or is it just covering the deficit?
03:03 No I don't think it's covering the deficit.
03:06 What I'm advised from the team in New South Wales Health and HI
03:10 working with Victorian Government is that based on current planning, once
03:14 fully operationalised, the new hospital is complete around
03:17 we'll have around 380 beds and this is around about a 50% increase
03:23 from the 2019 bed base of 245. So I know Chair that it is not
03:30 the way you would necessarily want the hospital to be redeveloped.
03:34 But I'm doing it in a way that is I think providing growth in
03:38 health services to the community at the same time it's fiscally responsible.
03:42 Both premiers in 2022 announced a single site hospital for Albury Donga.
03:46 It's clear that the current planned redevelopment is actually not going to
03:49 achieve that. What further funding is going to be
03:52 committed to further stages to actually achieve that?
03:55 Well we will work through the half a billion dollars that our respective
03:59 governments in Victoria and New South Wales have put on the
04:03 table. Chair, if my community
04:07 was informed they were getting half a billion dollars in a hospital that they
04:11 would be quite pleased. I understand that that is
04:14 not your view but what I'm saying to you is I will make sure that
04:20 like every hospital this hospital as we grow and as our population grow and
04:24 demands grow I will go into bat. I hope the person
04:27 who follows me in this chair goes into bat
04:30 for additional funding. But at the moment we've got to get work through what we've
04:33 got. What we've got between the two groups
04:36 between the two governments is over half a billion dollars
04:38 with the Commonwealth chipping in a relatively small amount
04:42 to contribute towards that as well. I'm out of time.