The health and hospital crisis gripping the New England has moved from its focal point from Wee Waa to Moree, where the town’s emergency department has been left without a doctor for weeks.
Speaking on ABC New England North West this morning, Moree Plains Shire Mayor Susannah Pearse, who had personally been affected by the lack of staff at Moree Hospital, said the situation had reached a dangerous point, with patients often driving hundreds of kilometres for emergency care.
“What should only be a contingency is becoming the norm, and that is really alarming for our community,” said Mayor Pearse.
“A patient showed up to the hospital after an accident and their kneecap had actually dislodged and was in their thigh, and they were advised that it was only a virtual doctor. That patient then drove themselves three hours to Tamworth to be seen,” said Mayor Pearse.
“There’s lots of stories, unfortunately, that are coming out of the woodwork where a virtual care option is just not sufficient for a community like ours.”
Mayor Pearse said the way Moree’s hospital is staffed had changed dramatically over the last decade.
“Ten years ago, our hospital was fully staffed by local GPs. We had twice the number of GPs to what we have now in our community.
“That number has halved, and now our hospital is staffed by locums around 97 per cent of the time. While many locums are excellent, the reliability of care is simply not the same,” said Mayor Pearse.
She also pointed to the reduction in Qantas flights to Moree as a factor making it harder to attract locum doctors.
“This is not a model that can be sustained longer term, and we absolutely need Hunter New England Health to be pulling out all the stops that they can to make sure that we are having reliable staffing of our hospital,” said Mayor Pearse.
Member for Northern Tablelands, Brendan Moylan, said he had raised the matter urgently with NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park after being told the hospital would continue to be without a doctor for an extended period.
“Not having a doctor on-hand in emergency is not good enough,” said Mr Moylan, arguing the geographic isolation of Moree made it particularly vulnerable.
“Moree Hospital is the most remote of all hospitals which fall within the Hunter New England Health District and should be prioritised to receive a locum,” said Mr Moylan.
“Hunter New England Health have instead put in a telehealth system which is unreliable and inadequate for the needs of a hospital which services a community of around 8000 people,” said Mr Moylan.
Mr Moylan said he too had been affected by the lack of doctors, and when he was there seeking care the internet wasn’t good enough to support the telehealth service and keep the doctor on the screen.
“I understand there are doctor shortages, I get that. But what really frustrates me is this ‘business as usual’ approach, and Hunter New England Health telling us that its fine,” he said.
“I get really fed up when people tell me the future of regional health care is on our phone, on the screen.”
“It’s not good enough. A screen doctor cannot do what an emergency doctor can do.”
Mayor Pearse said the risks of the current system were particularly concerning given the nature of the region’s industries and roads.
“We are the heart of an agricultural region which is one of the most dangerous professions there are. We know that there can be horrific farming incidents.”
“We also know that we were on the junction of a whole bunch of highways, and there are often, unfortunately, tragic accidents that happen on our roads,” she said.
“And we also have an Aboriginal community that has heightened health needs.”
“We are really concerned that something much more serious could happen while the hospital is operating on a contingency model,” said Mayor Pearse.
She said Council wanted to see the state government seize the opportunity created by the ongoing inquiry into Hunter New England Health to ensure communities like Moree were not left behind.
“We’re calling upon the state government to utilise this moment in time and the work being undertaken looking at the potential split of the Hunter New England Health District, to look at what the services are that are being delivered locally and how they can be improved. I think it’s well overdue.
“The state and government need to take a good hard look at this and go how can they ensure that they are providing adequate services to the Moree community,” said Mayor Pearse.
“Our local health staff are excellent and are doing their very best in challenging circumstances. They are committed to serving our community and take great care in their work.”
“However, I believe that Hunter New England Health are letting them down by not providing adequate coverage of ED doctors,” she said.
Hunter New England Health said the hospital continued to deliver safe care.
“The community can be assured that Moree Hospital continues to deliver safe, high-quality care.”
“Attracting and retaining doctors in rural areas like Moree is a challenge faced across NSW and throughout Australia,” said a spokesperson.
“Despite every effort to secure medical cover, there will be occasions where a doctor may not be on site. When this happens, patients are supported through on-demand virtual care delivered by highly trained emergency physicians, alongside highly skilled nursing staff,” said the spokesperson.
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