MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan MP met with senior executives of Hunter New England Health District (HNEHD) this week at the Armidale Hospital, to discuss a range of issues and initiatives that will improve health outcomes for his community.
Mr Moylan said health was a top priority for him as a new MP and for everyone in our region. His first meeting with the health district was frank, but also productive.
“I’m coming into this job with an open mind, but it was important for me to make HNEHD aware that as a community we expect and deserve accountability and transparency in our health system,” Mr Moylan said.
“Rightly or wrongly HNEHD has been plagued by a lack of community confidence in the past but at the end of the day this is our health service, it’s the only one we’ve got, we need transparency and accountability together with proper access to care.
“Some early issues raised included the chronic staff shortages across the health profession – including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, patient transport vehicles, locum doctors and the urgent care model.
“I am confident that Hunter New England Health wants to achieve better outcomes, it is important that we acknowledge some things can be done better but at the end of the day every single issue we have in relation to health care in our hospitals comes back to staff shortages.”
Mr Moylan said that he has organised ongoing monthly meetings between himself, HNEHD senior executives and Mayors across the region.
“I want to create a culture of transparency and accountability. By ensuring that our Mayors and I have monthly access to the senior executives at HNEHD we can ensure that community concerns will be heard and acted on, similarly these meetings will provide an opportunity for HNEHD to make the community aware of the steps that are being taken to recruit more staff,” he said.
“While it is no silver bullet, it is a good place to start, I have seven vibrant and growing local government areas in my electorate, and it has become clear to me that as a community we have not had satisfactory accountability or communication with HNEHD, and I want this to change.
“We all want better outcomes, and I was shocked to learn that there was no ongoing communication between our Health Service and our Mayors, this will now change.
“I have written to all Mayors to encourage them to get on board with these meetings, and we’re already planning our first one for the end of August, I thank the senior executives of the HNEHD for agreeing to work me and the Mayors so we can all work together to look after our communities.”
Mr Moylan has been busy meeting a range of stakeholders and community groups right across the electorate in his first month as MP ahead of his first sitting in Parliament next week.
MEDIA: Electorate Office 6772 5552