Temporary cutback in services to be introduced at Wee Waa hospital

Hospital services in Wee Waa will be temporarily reduced from May 8 in response to a shortage of healthcare staff.

Patients requiring hospital admission will need to seek inpatient care at Narrabri Hospital.

Emergency department services will also continue to operate from 8am to 5.30pm, seven days a week, with patients requiring care outside of these hours having to seek assistance in Narrabri.

In a statement released late last week, a Hunter New England Health spokesperson said significant challenges securing healthcare staff in rural and regional areas were being experienced by Wee Waa Health Service where despite extensive recruitment efforts the service has a number of nursing vacancies it has been unable to fill.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

“We acknowledge this is disappointing for the local community and apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

“At the request of the Minister for Health, we will establish a working party that includes local members of parliament and community representatives to look at the best way of ensuring our dedicated staff are supported and able to continue providing safe care while also serving the needs of the community.”

The spokesperson said patients presenting to Wee Waa Health Service who require admission will receive inpatient care at Narrabri Hospital or another appropriate facility within the health district.

Patients requiring emergency care outside of the emergency department operating hours have been advised to call ‘000’ or attend Narrabri Hospital.

“If an illness or injury is not life-threatening, we encourage people to visit their GP or call Healthdirect Australia,” the spokesperson said.

“While we continue to actively recruit to nursing vacancies, we’re also working hard to redeploy nursing staff from other areas and engage nursing agencies to cover any gaps in the rosters, with the ultimate goal of increasing these services back to their usual state.

“We are also working with our public and private health partners in surrounding areas, and NSW Ambulance, to ensure the community continues to access the health services it needs.”

State Member for Barwon, Roy Butler said the workforce crisis had been coming for some time and had seen people’s worst fears come to fruition.

“I am disappointed to see that the workforce shortages have reached such a peak that our rural and remote communities in Barwon are unable to access what most in NSW would consider basic services from their hospitals”, Mr Butler said.

Mr Butler also voice concern with a similar cutback in services at Nyngan.

He requested an urgent meeting regarding the situation with new Minister for Health Ryan Park.

“My team and I were already preparing a mass of information to continue the fight for Nyngan, and once I heard of Wee Waa, I knew we had to ensure the new government was aware that the workforce shortage has reached a new crisis point in my electorate”, Mr Butler said.

“I’m pleased to say that a meeting between myself and Minister Park has been agreed to, and he has already agreed to forming a community working party at my request which the LHD has arranged.”