Narrabri Shire strongly supportive of health district split-up bill

Read more: Community calls for Hunter New England Local Health District split

Read more: People voice concern with health system as part of split-up talks

Read  more: Splitting district would be disruptive, costly: Hunter New England LHD chief

Narrabri Shire Council has said it is strongly supportive of the bill to split up the Hunter New England Local Health District in its parliamentary submission.

Council also said the current system is considered to be currently ‘broken’.

“The sheer geographical size of the responsible organisation, extending from Newcastle to the Queensland border is simply unworkable,” council’s submission reads.

“This is creating significant ongoing health equity and access challenges and overall poorer health outcomes.

“It is an unfortunate and distressing statistic that, if you live in the Narrabri local government area you can expect to die earlier than both your surrounding LGAs and metropolitan counterparts.”

Council said community sentiment and anger in relation to the reduction of services at the Wee Waa Hospital is palpable.

The shire’s submission went on to voice concern with a lack of communication and collaboration as well as need for more access to specialists in the area.

Mayor Darrell Tiemens also welcomed the release of the final report from the NSW Legislative Assembly Select Committee on Remote, Rural and Regional Health.

“One of the clearest messages in this report is that communities are still feeling shut out of decisions about their local health services,” Cr Tiemens said.

“We continue to see real tension and confusion between LHDs and the people they serve. This needs to change.”

The report recommends establishing an independent NSW Remote, Rural and Regional Health Commissioner to oversee reforms, ensure transparency and act as a strong advocate for country communities.

It also calls for mandatory and meaningful community consultation to be built into LHD service planning, something Cr Tiemens said is essential.

“Unless local voices are genuinely involved from the outset, the mistrust and misalignment we have seen will continue. Communities need to be part of shaping the services they rely on. This is a constructive, balanced report that reflects both the frustration and the goodwill of rural communities

“It is time for government agencies to work together rather than argue over who is responsible.”

Cr Tiemens thanked the committee for its work and recognised the many community members, including those from Narrabri Shire, who contributed.