Co-located hospital decision is a loss for Northern Tasmania | Opinion
An artist's impression of the proposed co-located hospital adjacent to Launceston General Hospital. Picture via The Examiner Newspaper.
February 8, 2024
OPINION | Peter Milne, CEO, Clifford Craig Foundation
A “once in a lifetime” opportunity for Tasmania. This term is thrown around a lot, specifically in reference to football stadiums.
Yet, when it comes to building health infrastructure with the potential to fundamentally change the way healthcare is delivered in Northern Tasmania – we remain at-risk of missing out.
The Clifford Craig Foundation is extremely concerned about Calvary Healthcare’s decision not to proceed with plans to build a co-located hospital with the Launceston General Hospital.
As the health promotion charity supporting the LGH, we alongside a diverse group of stakeholders, have been advocating for this development for the better part of three decades.
The benefits of a co-located service would be significant for the community.
This includes but is not limited to: attracting and retaining high-calibre health staff; reducing bed block; reducing elective surgery wait times; the sharing of resources; and increased access to specialist care.
Northern Tasmania has a long and detailed history with these issues.
As we speak, a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry into transfer of care delays is uncovering harrowing patient experiences – many of which can be traced back to bed block and under-resourced staff.
Further, Tasmania’s reliance on locums remains exponential ($68.2 million in 2022-23), with many visiting specialists sharing their time between the public and private systems.
As a regional city with an ageing population and some of the worst health outcomes in Australia, health remains the number one issue impacting Launceston’s population.
Up to a third of patients who present to the LGH are estimated to have private health insurance. Yet, they rely on the public system because of a lack of private services elsewhere.
A truly co-operative, shared service arrangement between the LGH and a co-located private service would create significant efficiencies. It will save our state money and most importantly, lead to better health services for our community.
It will benefit all Tasmanians – regardless of their private health insurance status.
Calvary has been a part of the Tasmania’s health system for more than 80 years, and we understand they did not make the decision to withdraw from this project lightly.
The state government has made assurances they remain committed to partnering with providers to see this project through, as the LGH Masterplan forges ahead.
Patients in Northern Tasmania deserve appropriate access to medical care, and it’s vital that we fight for this once in a lifetime opportunity. We can’t afford to sit on our hands, there is too much at stake.
| Read The Examiner article here.