Wealth not good for Hornsby’s health

16 Apr 10 @ 10:25am by Jessica Clement

HORNSBY Hospital’s buildings and facilities have been allowed to fall gradually into disrepair partly because of the perceived wealth of residents in Sydney’s north.

In light of the NSW Planning department’s approval of a $780 million redevelopment of Sydney Adventist Hospital, the Advocate posed a question in its editorial last week: has our much-maligned public facility been a casualty of a boom in the private health industry across the area?

Hornsby’s clinical director of surgery Pip Middleton said demographics and an influx of private health providers over several decades had indeed conspired to deny Hornsby much-needed redevelopment.

“I have no doubt the demographers at NSW Health look at the north of Sydney, see a whole supply of
private health operators and decide the need for public facilities is possibly not as high as other areas,” Dr Middleton said.

“The funding per bed in areas like western Sydney is about 10 times higher than in the north.

“That’s why places like Royal North Shore, Manly, Mona Vale, and of course Hornsby (hospitals), have been left to decay without a major injection of funding.”

Sydney Adventist Hospital’s chief, Leon Clark, agreed Hornsby Hospital had been let down due to demographics and perceptions of the area, but was in no doubt that it “would eventually have its day”.

“I think it’s only a matter of time for them, but the problem is the decisions for the public system are made at the whim of the government of the day,” he said.

“The strength of private hospitals depends on how many people choose to take up private health insurance.

“There is undoubtedly a need for both a strong public and private system in this area.”

Dr Middleton said Hornsby Hospital patients were leaking to the Adventist Hospital because resources were not up to scratch.

“If we can actually provide standards that are in keeping with what patients can accept in a modern hospital system then that would not happen,” he said.

A NSW Health spokesman said “many factors” were considered by the department when making any decisions on Hornsby Hospital, “including the availability and makeup of public and private health services in the area”.
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I hope Hornsby Hospital will able to provide more efficient service.