By KATH GANNAWAY
A MOTION to send a letter of condemnation to Eastern Health over the treatment of their GP clinicians was just one of a series of motions put forward, and accepted, at the Save Healesville Hospital Action Group (SHHAG) meeting last week.
About 150 people attended the Wednesday meeting, which aimed to provide an overview of the activities of the group over the past 18 months, introduce the consultant who will undertake the business case study into the future of hospital and health services to the community and give candidates for the upcoming State Government election an opportunity to state their views about the future of the facility.
Rita Brewerton from South Australia-based company Brewerton and Associates Pty Ltd, told the ‘Healesville Hospital Revive the Truth Community Meeting’ that immediate access to clinical and other data was critical, while candidates were asked support actions needed to complete the business case and to then commit to implementing the recommendations if they were elected.
SHHAG speakers, Fiona McAllister, Jane Judd and Dr Peter Curruthers said there had been some gains in services over the past year but said there were still issues that were not being addressed, and needs that were not being met.
They listed the loss of maternity services, and lack of certainty around the provision of the mother and baby unit, surgery lists that didn’t meet needs, no detail around the redevelopment, the GP clinic being in crisis and the fact that there had been no handover of data to complete the business case as some of the issues that were not being addressed.
Ms Brewerton said it was vital that along with the data, she needed to see the redevelopment plans for the hospital.
“I need them now to understand what services they are looking to put in and what decisions have been made in terms of the look and shape of the redevelopment,” she said.
Ms Brewerton said the two processes needed to go hand in hand.
“If the case study shows that there is a demand for say ear, nose and throat surgery and the redevelopment doesn’t provide for the necessary type of equipment needed for that, the community has nowhere to go and it really has the potential to be a considerable waste of money.
“If I don’t get the data quickly there is the potential of the redevelopment going ahead and being configured for a suite of services that’s not required, or not ideal for the community,” she said.
Seymour MP and Liberal Party candidate for the new Eildon electorate, Cindy McLeish, said the Health Department and Eastern Health had advised SHHAG that they were happy to work with the consultant once they were engaged.
“There is so much available data and it’s so important to know exactly what data is required,” she said.
“The consultant is the expert who would know what data is and is not required.”
Among a number of motions carried on the night were that the Minister of Health release the data immediately so the business case could be completed; that Eastern Health release the plans for the redevelopment to the public with input and feedback within a month and that the community views be included in the final plans, and that the community calls on the candidates to support the completion of the business case and commit to the recommendations.
See page 2 of the Mail for more on what the meeting revealed about the ‘crisis’ at the GP clinic and Eastern Health’s response.
