Grassroots community input and widespread consultation will be a key focus as Edward River Council continues its advocacy for a new Deniliquin Hospital, as part of a broader health precinct.
Edward River Council Deputy Mayor Kellie Crossley, who has nearly 25 years of experience in the health and community services sector, is a strong advocate for effective planning and local consultation to ensure health upgrades are fit for purpose – not just when they are delivered, but well into the future.
"We need to work with the community and identify what a health precinct should look like, with the understanding that 80 per cent of our health services are delivered from outside the hospital, so it's more than just the hospital building," Cr Crossley said.
She said the current reality is that we have an ageing hospital that is not fit for purpose, and a range of issues are recognised in the Clinical Services Plan (CSP), developed by Murrumbidgee Local Health District.
"Various issues included in the CSP cannot be delivered with the existing infrastructure. For example, just one of the seven core services the community has requested was '28 Inpatient beds supporting general medicine, surgical, maternity, rehabilitation, geriatric evaluation and management, and palliative care'.
"It also calls for 'expanded access to non-inpatient services, for example, outpatient clinics, infusion/ oncology chairs, renal chairs, Hospital in the Home, community health, community mental health (and) dental'.
"To adequately provide the services and facilities identified by the community in the CSP, we will definitely need upgraded infrastructure," Cr Crossley said.
Giving an example of the current situation, she explained how the Middleton Gorman Wing – highlighted in the CSP – is not fit for purpose. For example, a patient requiring emergency surgery may have to be transported from one end of the hospital to the other, which is not best practice.
Meanwhile, the Community Health building lacks seven rooms and the existing infrastructure is also ageing.
"A health precinct that caters for current and future needs would have flexible space with innovative lay-out that meets modern day standards," Cr Crossley said.
She believes the first step towards the new health precinct is to access funding for a feasibility study, so community consultation can be undertaken that identifies what is needed.
"There has not been significant investment in the Deniliquin Hospital for many years, so it is imperative we have appropriate planning for the future.
"We don't want to just build a new hospital. We must look at co-location of services and ensure quality planning, so when funding is available we do not have to start from scratch.
"The recent Rural and Regional Health Inquiry identified this need for planning, and I believe it is important we are to the forefront in this respect."
Cr Crossley has seen first-hand the need for a new health precinct during her extensive career in the sector, as well as her role with the Deniliquin branch of CanAssist, which supports local patients, many on their journey with cancer.
Providing more services and more appropriate infrastructure at a local level can ease some of the pressures that come with treatment, including extensive travel. Additionally, it helps ease the pressure on the larger regional hospitals which are struggling to cope with the influx of patients from surrounding communities, including the Deniliquin district.
"Our first step is to progress the consultation, led by Council, and that is what we will be doing. Funding for a new health precinct is not going to be delivered overnight, but it is important we are prepared when opportunities arise," Cr Crossley said.
