Clinical Services Plan to be developed for future needs
A COMPREHENSIVE plan for the current and future health services required in the Moree district community will be developed shortly, it was revealed today.
NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health Sarah Mitchell and Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall toured Moree District Hospital this afternoon and announced that Hunter New England Health (HNEH) would commence the development of a Clinical Services Plan for the hospital.
“This is the first step in scoping out what types of services we will need to provide at the hospital for the community in the decades to come,” Mr Marshall said.
The local MP invited the Parliamentary Secretary to tour the hospital, meet with staff and see first-hand the ageing operating theatres and the renal and chemotherapy units, which are at full capacity and in need of more space.
“I said during the election campaign that I wanted to pursue a redevelopment of the hospital on behalf of the community, which would include new operating theatres and sterilising unit, a new emergency department and new and expanded renal dialysis and chemotherapy units,” Mr Marshall said.
“Today’s visit by the Parliamentary Secretary and announcement of the development of a Clinical Services Plan are the first steps towards that.”
Mrs Mitchell said that as part of the clinical services planning, Hunter New England Health would consult with local health staff, other health service providers, Moree Plains Shire Council and key community groups to confirm health service priorities and range of services required by the community in future years.
“Hunter New England Health expects to complete this phase of planning in early to mid-2016,” Mrs Mitchell said.
“I commend Adam Marshall for standing up and speaking out on behalf of the community about the need to improve local health services, just as he has done very successfully for the Armidale and Inverell communities in his first term in Parliament.”