The New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia has deployed a health team at NSW Health to prepare for the conversion of Northern Beaches Hospital from a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
This move is effective immediately, with the transition assessment and planning (TAP) team from the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) now on-site.
The team at NSW Health, which encompasses up to 15 senior leaders with expertise in IT, clinical operations, patient safety and culture, finance, workforce, and corporate services, aims to ensure a smooth transition.
They will work along with Healthscope colleagues to identify priority areas for the hospital's operations once it transitions to NSLHD and NSW Health.
One area of focus during this period is to maintain the current standard of safe care at the hospital, which Healthscope will continue to operate.
The team will specifically examine clinical applications and IT systems unique to Healthscope that are not currently in use by NSW Health.
It will also identify additional crucial aspects where gaps in procedure, policy, or practice are evident between the hospital's present functioning and its future operation within the NSW Health system.
Negotiations are ongoing between the hospital taskforce, Healthscope, and its receivers to resolve intricate contractual and financial deals.
The NSW government hopes to achieve a negotiated agreement regarding the hospital's future control and operation. Despite this, it has also passed legislation to intervene if necessary to prevent a prolonged dispute from affecting the hospital staff, community, and NSW taxpayers.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said: “The transition will naturally be challenging, but we want to give the hospital the best head-start upon its transition to NSW Health.
“That’s what the deployment of our specialist transition team to the hospital is all about.”
Last month, Northern Beaches Hospital planned to install critical care cameras over beds to improve care for seriously ill infants and children.
