AFTER a hard-fought campaign, community members have welcomed the extension of opening hours at the Wee Waa Health Service but say the fight for an on-site doctor and the restoration of 24/7 operation is far from over.
“It’s very positive progress going forward, and we need to encourage our community to use the facilities,” said Wee Waa Hospital Auxiliary president Anne Weekes.
“We are really pleased; it’s nearly two years since the Save Our Wee Waa Hospital group started,” said Carmel Schwager, SOWWH member.
“We should be like any other small town, like Bingara, Boggabri, Walgett; we should have a hospital that’s open 24/7, with an emergency department and access to a VMO (visiting medical officer), a doctor, so this is a step towards that … hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.”
A media statement from Health Minister Ryan Park said the expanded operating hours follow the recruitment of additional nurses.
From 5 October, the health service will operate from 7 am to 10 pm, seven days a week.
The statement said the extension of hours was ‘an important milestone in implementing the recommendations of the independent review into Wee Waa Health Service, which focused on models of care, workforce recruitment and retention, community engagement, integrated care and partnerships, and Aboriginal health’.
“Communities like Wee Waa deserve access to quality healthcare close to home, and these extended operating hours are an important step in delivering the recommendations of the independent review,” said Mr Park.
Narrabri Shire mayor Darrell Tiemens described the announcement of extended opening hours as “a significant step in the right direction for the Wee Waa community and surrounding areas”.
“It’s a very, very positive step forward, but it still means that not a single patient will be staying overnight at the hospital,” said Cr Tiemens, who is also part of the SOWWH group.
“There still won’t be a doctor there, but we believe that Hunter New England Health, and we believe the commitment of Ryan Park, the health minister, we believe their commitment to getting this hospital running 24/7 with a doctor and a functioning emergency department is exactly what they’re going to stick to.
“But we’re just tired of waiting. It’s taken well over three and a bit years since they said it was a temporary closure.
“I don’t know about you, but three years is not temporary. Three years is a big, long wait for this important community.
“It’s moving at glacial pace and we’d like them to speed it up a bit.”
After more than three years of the facility closing at 5.30 pm every night, Cr Tiemens said the announcement was an important improvement that will make it easier for residents to access healthcare locally, particularly outside traditional business hours.
People have to travel 42km from Wee Waa to Narrabri, or beyond, to seek after-hours medical care.
SOWWH has highlighted how reduced operating hours at the hospital have caused significant hardship, especially for elderly residents, palliative care patients and those requiring emergency care.
Limited or no public transport options have further exacerbated access issues for residents having to travel to Narrabri for care.
Wee Waa Hospital serves the town, which has three primary schools, two high schools and an aged care residence, but it also serves surrounding farming communities and villages, including those with their own primary schools such as Pilliga and Burren Junction.
Cr Tiemens said the extension of opening hours has only been possible because the Wee Waa community has continued to stand up and make its voice heard.
Speaking about the reaction he’s received since the announcement, Cr Tiemens said: “I’ve had a lot of text messages from people going, ‘This is fantastic, isn’t the community awesome’.
“And I agree; this is all about the community.
“If it wasn’t for the people of Wee Waa and surrounds, this hospital would be closed.”
In 2023, Hunter New England Local Health District announced that services at Wee Waa Health Service would be temporarily reduced (8am to 5.30pm), citing significant healthcare workforce shortages.
Fed up and frustrated, hundreds of local residents took time off work and away from their daily lives to attend a series of community rallies and meetings, with the first Save Our Wee Waa Hospital public meeting held at the end of 2024 – the year the powerhouse SOWWH committee was formed by a diverse mix of local volunteers determined to rescue the district’s vital health service.
In March 2025, Cr Tiemens, SOWWH members and local representatives presented a Save the Wee Waa Hospital petition to Member for Barwon Roy Butler.
Following a strong community campaign, the petition collected 12,000 signatures, above the required 10,000 signatures to trigger a debate in NSW Parliament about the matter.
“More than 12,000 people signed the petition calling for the restoration of services, and the campaign received support from right across NSW,” said Cr Tiemens.
“I want to thank Roy Butler MP for his ongoing advocacy for Wee Waa, as well as Tracey McCosker from Hunter New England Health.
“And thank you to the Hon. Ryan Park, Minister for Health, for standing alongside our community and championing this important issue at the highest levels of government.
“I also want to recognise the Save Our Wee Waa Hospital committee, our local community groups and organisations and the many residents who have continued to advocate, attend meetings, share their stories, and refuse to let this issue disappear.”
Cr Tiemens also expressed his thanks to media outlets for shining a light on the issue.
“Your support helped bring the community’s concerns to a much wider audience,” he said.
“There is no doubt this is a positive development, and Council welcomes it.
“But we also need to be clear: 7am to 10pm is not 24/7.
“Our community deserves access to a properly resourced hospital around the clock, with Visiting Medical Officers and the staffing needed to support a fully functioning emergency service.
“We will continue to advocate alongside the Wee Waa community until we get there.”
The community’s drive to advocate has been unwavering.
It’s been a long and worrying road for locals, who have been without a fully functioning hospital and have been forced to volunteer their time to lobby for change.
Attending a media conference on Friday, local representatives and members of the Save Our Wee Waa Hospital committee again gave their time to keep the important issue in the spotlight, expressing their thanks for the opening-hour extension and their determination to keep fighting to restore the crucial service.
Wearing her ‘Save Our Wee Waa Hospital’ cap, which also includes the words ‘24/7 & DOCTORS’, Carmel Schwager said: “That’s been the goal all along; we just want what every other town has got and we want it soon, please.”
Mrs Schwager and her husband Richard are farmers just outside Wee Waa and have been passionate members of the SOWWH campaign.
“A hospital is vital to any rural community; we’re involved in agriculture,” said Mrs Schwager.
“Accidents on farms are immediate,” added Richard Schwager.
“The quicker you can get medical attention, the better.”
Mr Schwager said having to go to Narrabri or further to seek treatment is a challenge.
“That’s incredibly frustrating and I have a sister who rolled her ankle a couple of nights ago, at nine o’clock at night, so what do you do? Where do you go? How do you get help?,” Mr Schwager said.
“There are four doctors in Wee Waa and we don’t seem to be able to get a VMO (Visiting Medical Officer) at Wee Waa Hospital…it still astounds me that that’s the case,” he added.
“We don’t want anything more than what other towns of this size have…we’re not whinging for the sake of whinging,” said Richard.
“Wee Waa’s a great town and it’s getting some progress, let’s build on it and build on it quickly,” said Richard.
Wendy and Jono Phelps also live and work on a farm just outside Wee Waa and have dedicated time to the SOWWH cause.
Reacting to the announcement, Mr Phelps said: “We’re happy to get something back.
“This hospital closed three and a bit years ago, and we won’t be satisfied until it’s operating how it used to be,” he said.
“If there’s a doctor here, you will attract more nurses.”
Mr Phelps again highlighted examples of why a fully functioning hospital is essential.
“This weekend the Wee Waa Show is on and there are horse sports happening; there are a lot of extra people in town,” he said.
“It’s just vital…we’ve got a lot of industry around here. We’ve got grain storage facilities, we’ve got Cotton Seed Distributors; there are a lot of people who work there.
“There is a lot of industry around here where an accident could happen at any moment.
“Snake bites are another thing.”
Mrs Phelps said she used to work at the hospital and in aged care.
“I’m very concerned about palliative care; I have looked after people in stages. I do not see how the aged care in this town can manage palliative care, end of life – that hostel is full,” she said.
“Money was raised over the years for a beautiful palliative care unit, which has been lying there for three and a bit years unused.”
The hospital’s palliative care ward, the Serenity Room, was a community-driven project, with funds raised by local groups.
“Everything’s in there; we just need a doctor to help those nurses and manage those patients,” said Mrs Phelps.
“Rather than going to Newcastle or Tamworth, where their relatives can’t get there – family is so important in this town,” she said.
“People are going to Narrabri now and Narrabri is overflowing.
“A lot of people in Wee Waa don’t have transport either,” Mrs Phelps added.
Young Wee Waa advocate and Narrabri Shire councillor Ethan Towns, who has also supported the SOWWH campaign, said it was a ‘huge achievement’ to see the opening hours extended.
“It’s so good to actually see that the community has come together, put all the rallying in, put all the support in and we are actually seeing a change,” said Cr Towns.
“But in the wake of all this, we’ve learned that there’s a pause on nurse hiring,” said Cr Towns.
“It’s already been too long..we need this to move faster, we need a timeline, and we need to see when the next step will actually come into play,” said Cr Towns.
“We need it open now, 24/7, with a doctor.
“I really believe that Hunter New England Health, the government, and all those involved should come back to us with a clear timeline of when we expect to actually see things happen.
“But other than all of that, it is truly amazing to actually see this go ahead.”
Not having a clear timeframe was a concern raised by a number of residents at the press conference.
“Clarity. Like when can we expect it? What can we expect? How many of those 18 beds will be open? When will we get a Visiting Medical Officer, a doctor?,” said Cr Tiemens.
“When the hospital was closed three years ago, we were told it was going to be closed for six weeks,” said Mr Phelps.
“If they’re going to give us a timeline, they’ve got to stick to it.”
When asked if he had any update on the recruitment of a Visiting Medical Officer, Cr Tiemens said: “They’re looking into a VMO, the word that we have is that they’re discussing it with one of the Aboriginal medical services, so that’s a move in the right direction.”
Mother of two, Ainsley Brown, who lives at Burren Junction, shared a snapshot of her personal experience to praise the nurses and staff at Wee Waa hospital and explain why the health service is so important to those living in surrounding communities.
“Our home base is almost an hour west of here, and this is the hospital we rely on,” said Mrs Brown.
She recently brought her daughter Sophie to Wee Waa hospital , when she hurt her elbow playing.
“If we had to drive to Narrabri, it’s an hour and 20 minutes before we get there.
“The nurses who were on (in Wee Waa) over the weekend were really great, really helpful,” she said.
Mrs Brown said the reduced hours at Wee Waa hospital had been worrying, for families and especially the elderly.
“One of my children has asthma, in the middle of the night, we’ve made that dash to Narrabri from Burren – it’s a long way.
“If we were able to come here (Wee Waa) …we’re 45 minutes. It’s almost half the drive.
“So, it’s really important, particularly for families and the older generation for everyone, the whole community.”
SOWWH member Roxanne Whitton also shared a personal story, speaking from the heart about the impact reduced services have had on palliative care.
“I had two beautiful old friends, gosh now I’m going to cry. One was 86 and one was 84 and because they couldn’t get into palliative care here, she had to go to Tamworth and he went over to Weeronga (Whiddon aged care in Wee Waa) .
“And when I visited him, he was sitting there with an iPad, and that was how he said goodbye.
“It’s terrible,” she said.
“I was at the opening of our beautiful palliative care that we’ve got in there and even the lady who cut the cake and opened it, she had to die away from here; she couldn’t even go to palliative care…it’s wrong.
“So, I want to thank everybody who has helped us get this far,” she added.
Cr Towns said aged care was not an appropriate setting for younger people requiring palliative care.
“It’s almost dehumanising,” he said.
“You’re at the end of your life, you want to be with your family, you want to be comfortable and you’re put into an aged care facility. That’s not where you should be.
“You should feel comfortable at the end of your life and that’s the kind of respect, I think, that everybody in Australia deserves.”
As reported last week, Member for Barwon Roy Butler welcomed the news that opening hours would be extended at the Wee Waa Health Service.
Wee Waa News/The Courier/Gunnedah Times asked Mr Butler what feedback he’d received following the announcement and if he had any updates on the timeline for the return of 24/7 operations or the recruitment of a VMO.
“The majority of people have welcomed the extension of hours at Wee Waa Health Service as a positive step for the community,” said Mr Butler.
“Certainly, it’s taking too long to return to full 24/7 operations, and I wish there was a way to speed the process up.
“But the extension of hours does show that the Independent Review, the Implementation Plan and the work done by the Wee Waa Local Health Committee are beginning to show dividends.”
“Returning to full 24/7 operations is dependent on the recruitment of both more nurses and a Visiting Medical Officer (VMO),” said Mr Butler.
“It’s clear by now that Hunter New England Health is not going to be able to reach an agreement on standard commercial terms with local doctors to act as VMOs.
“I am encouraging HNEH to broaden their search beyond Wee Waa for a VMO. Having a VMO on board would also make it easier to recruit more nurses.”
The Wee Waa Local Health Committee is made up of local residents and was established following the Independent Review in 2025 to help guide implementation of the review’s recommendations and ensure community perspectives are reflected in decisions about the health service.
Kylie Whitford, general manager, Rural and Regional Health Services Hunter New England Local Health District said the opening-hours extension was ‘an important step’ and the priority was to build ‘a safe, sustainable model of care for the Wee Waa community’.
“This change follows growth in our local nursing workforce, the appointment of a permanent Health Service Manager and broader work to improve access to health services across the region.
“We continue to review local service needs and workforce capacity as we implement the independent review into Wee Waa Health Service recommendations and are working closely with the Wee Waa Local Health Committee to ensure community perspectives inform this work.
“Any further expansion of operating hours will be guided and informed by these reviews.
“To increase opportunities for the local community to access healthcare close to home, we are working with local healthcare providers including Whiddon Residential Aged Care to explore further pathways for referral to inpatient palliative care.”
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