Narrabri Shire councillors voted to advocate for the region’s ambulance, hospital and health services at the most recent council meeting.
Cr Lisa Richardson put forward two motions raising concerns about the essential services, but praised the dedication and professionalism of local paramedics, health professionals and workers.
“This is a major concern for our community,” said Cr Richardson.
“We need to write to the key players before we get to a detrimental effect.
“No one is going to be shocked that they’re understaffed, overworked, underpaid and this is again why we need to advocate for them.
“They really need our voice to say that we do support them … and acknowledge their hard work.”
Cr Richardson put forward a NSW Ambulance Advocacy motion and a Narrabri Shire Hospitals Advocacy motion at the council meeting.
Both motions were seconded by deputy mayor Darrell Tiemens, and all councillors present – Crs Ron Campbell, Rohan Boehm, John Clements, Brett Dickinson, Catherine Redding and Lisa Richardson – voted in favour of them.
Following the successful votes, council will write to Member for Barwon Roy Butler, relevant ministers, and relevant NSW Health authorities to convey “that NSC and the community hold grave concerns” regarding NSW Ambulance including a lack of housing and incentives for paramedics to work in rural areas such as the Narrabri Shire.
NSC will advocate for an upgrade to Boggabri and Wee Waa ambulance stations to “a similar health standard as Narrabri ambulance station which includes paramedic accommodation” and “highlight that NSW Ambulance has become the putty for a failing rural health system”.
Council will also write to Boggabri, Narrabri, and Wee Waa ambulance stations to reiterate NSC’s support of local health services and will push for appropriate staff accommodation and increased incentives to work in rural locations such as NSC.
Councillors voted to write and “thank our paramedics for the lifesaving work they provide and continue to provide in our shire”.
Cr Richardson’s successful Narrabri Shire Hospitals Advocacy motion will see council write to Mr Butler, relevant ministers, and relevant NSW health authorities to express “that NSC and the community hold grave concerns” regarding Narrabri Shire hospital services including the shortening of Wee Waa hospital hours and an unknown time frame of when Wee Waa hospital will be operating 24/7 again.
Council will also raise concerns about housing availability “especially for nurses, doctors, and specialists” and ask the state government to investigate additional ‘pod’ style accommodation.
In the letters to Mr Burler, relevant ministers and NSW Health authorities, council will communicate concerns about rural health services declining and wait times for basic health services increasing.
NSC will reiterate “the hospital staff we do have in our shire are highly skilled and appreciated but are working tirelessly with minimal staff and resources”.
Councillors also want the shire’s hospitals to each receive a letter to “reiterate that NSC supports our health services and is advocating for all relevant authorities to assist in increasing staff levels and to gain appropriate staff accommodation throughout our shire and thank our hospital health workers for the lifesaving work they provide and continue to provide in our shire.”
Cr Richardson’s rationale behind the NSW Ambulance Advocacy motion was detailed in the council meeting’s business paper.
“Firstly, it is also worth noting, NSW Ambulance also provide clinical emergency response to NSW hospitals and NSW Ambulance consultants can use the virtual clinical care unit to save lives,” states Cr Richardson in the rationale.
“Essentially hospitals also call Triple-0, especially when no doctors are available or the MyED doctor is in question.
“The following example is just one way NSW ambulance paramedics are filing the gap in our shire.
“Boggabri and Wee Waa hospitals regularly do not have after hours or weekend doctor coverage, meaning the wider community then travels to Narrabri Hospital or calls an ambulance.
“When a vital member of Narrabri Hospital is also away this then means many patients cannot stay at any of Narrabri Shires hospitals, thus patients are required to present at Tamworth Base Hospital.
“Meanwhile our ambulance paramedics are already responding to life-threatening emergencies and this travel then takes them out of our shire, with an average cycle time of four to six hours per patient.
“NSC needs to advocate for these services to stay in our shire, which means pushing the state government and relevant authorities to support our rural health system, which is already overworked and understaffed, via housing and incentives.
“This issue is not exclusive to Narrabri Shire but can be found in other rural health services.
“NSC should note that by paramedics having to personally ‘rent’ their own accommodation whilst they are working in a rural community with limited rentals and high rental prices, is not an incentive to work in these rural communities.
“Many of these paramedics are already paying their own rent or mortgage where they reside.
“It is acknowledged there is an allowance of 70 per cent of rent, capped at $100 per week for these paramedics available from NSW Ambulance.
“This is not enough to keep these vital emergency staff in regional towns.
“Again, many of these regional towns do not have a doctor, or have limited doctors, and therefore it is the paramedics who are the difference between life and death for our community members.”
While the ambulance and hospital motions were presented and voted on separately, Cr Richardson acknowledged they were “intertwined” and her fellow councillors expressed their concerns about both matters and the need to campaign for solutions.
“We need to advocate – very loud and very strong,” said Cr Redding.
“This is obviously a problem in regional NSW and has been just building, and building,” said Cr Tiemens.
“Queensland is now starting to pay some serious incentives for doctors to be appointed in regional hospitals.
“We could be faced with a situation very soon where no babies are born in Narrabri anymore.
“It’s just an absolute disgrace.
“Once you start allowing service downgrades it just gets worse, and worse, and worse – and then other providers pull out.
“We just have to put a stop to this.
“It’s the role of council to advocate on behalf of our community and we’ve got to advocate strong and hard, and keep the momentum going – local members, ministers and all the way to the Premier and just make sure that our communities are not forgotten.”
Cr Dickinson said he agreed with his fellow councillors and highlighted the important role of a local hospital staff member who had served the community for 48 years.
Cr Clements told the meeting a working group had been formed in Wee Waa regarding the town’s hospital. In a media statement released on April 20, Hunter New England Health said significant challenges securing healthcare staff in rural areas were being experienced and “to ensure ongoing safe patient care, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily reduce some services at Wee Waa Health Service from Monday, May 8, 2023.”
Cr Clements told the council meeting, “The loss of services, it’s a gradual creeping thing and once you lose one, you lose the other, and then you lose confidence. We need to be really tough on pushing back on this.
“There is a working group that has been formed … it’s been formed at the request of the local member and minister.
“There has been a problem at Wee Waa for a number of years, there’s no VMO (Visiting Medical Officer)– it’s a complex issue but it’s one that needs to be resolved because it is certainly denying nurses the opportunity to serve in that hospital, they feel they are exposed to decisions that they should not make, legally should not make, and we are losing nurses for exactly that reason.
“There is always a complexity to these things, and they happen gradually – it’s the old story, ‘how did it happen? Well, it happened gradually and then quickly’.
“Myself and others in Wee Waa are committed that it will return to a proper service, we are not going to accept a step back like this.
“Hunter New England needs to start to answer some questions on what their priorities are for this area.”
Cr Clements added, “There needs to be a renewed focus on visa workforce and freeing up the visa process”.
Councillors discussed the shire’s opportunities for positive growth and said retaining health services was essential to attracting people to live in our community.
“If we’re wanting to grow, you’re not going to come where there’s no doctors, no adequate hospital service – it’s a basic life necessity,” said Cr Richardson.
In the council meeting’s business paper, Cr Richardson pushed for “all levels of government to assist in increasing hospital staff levels in our shire”.
“What can happen when one person takes much needed leave or is ill themselves, and the flow on effect that puts pressure on other services already struggling themselves.
“Take an anaesthetist being away from Narrabri Hospital. Wee Waa and Boggabri hospitals regularly do not have after hours or weekend doctor coverage, meaning the wider community then travels to Narrabri hospital. Narrabri hospital then receives additional presenting patients, many in an emergency.
“An anaesthetist is needed for many procedures such as the cleaning of wounds, surgery, and for expectant mothers. Without an anaesthetist, our shire requires these patients to travel to Tamworth hospital, two to three hours away.
“This is not fixing the issue, it is passing it onto other health services, who are also struggling.
“This flow-on effect now puts the entire shire after health system onto Tamworth Hospital and NSW paramedics, who are already responding to life threatening emergencies themselves, with an average cycle time of four to six hours.
“This example highlights that at any given point, our entire health system in Narrabri Shire could reach a critical life-threatening level.
“To note, whilst this is happening, our NSW hospital beds are statistically ‘empty’.
“When looking at this data, statistics could be showing a false analysis that Boggabri, Narrabri, and Wee Waa do not need additional resources, which is not reality.
“Lastly, Narrabri Shire Hospital staff are burning out, and the lack of services means community members are travelling two to three hours each way to obtain medical services.
“This also impacts sparse resources at Tamworth hospital and NSW Ambulance for transportation and adding to an already lengthy wait list for many rural specialists highlighting the health of our rural community is in crisis and needs our local council to help advocate and have our voices heard.”
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