A planned two bed Tresillian Residential Unit to support new parents which was expected to be co-located in the maternity unit of the new Cowra Hospital has been dropped.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Local Member, Steph Cooke, is now seeking an urgent meeting with Health Minister, Ryan Park, to ask him to overturn the decision.
In her letter to the Minister on Friday she wrote, "I am writing to request an urgent meeting with you to discuss the decision not to proceed with the promised Tresillian Residential Unit as part of the Cowra Hospital redevelopment.
This decision has shocked and disappointed both myself and the community... To say I am devastated by this outcome is an understatement
- Steph Cooke
"As you can appreciate, this decision has shocked and disappointed both myself and the community, and I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to talk about the impact this cancellation will have on families right across the entire NSW Central West region."
The announcement came on Friday contained in a Health Infrastructure NSW update on the Hospital development, which described the Tresillian proposal as a "service partnership opportunity, rather than a core clinical service to be included within the redevelopment build."
The statement added, "The design finalisation and value management process has now concluded, and as a result the proposed addition of two Tresillian residential parenting beds will not be part of the redevelopment."
Inclusion of the unit to support new parents in the Hospital rebuild was announced in February. Cowra was hailed as the first town west of the Great Divide to have two dedicated Tresillian Family Care beds co-located in the maternity unit of the new hospital.
Ms Cooke who has been a great supporter of the unit, expressed her disappointed when given the news by Health Infrastructure NSW and Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) on Friday.
"To say I am devastated by this outcome is an understatement," she said
Ms Cooke said the dedicated Tresillian residential inpatient service, had been designed to support families in the community.
"I am now seeking an urgent meeting with Health Minister, Ryan Park, to ask him to overturn what I firmly believe is quite plainly the wrong decision; one that has been made with no community consultation whatsoever, and no attempt at finding a compromise or alternative solution.
"I have been told that the reason for the decision relates to construction together with ongoing operational costs. However, this fails to take into account the social cost of not going ahead with what would have been an extremely important service for families across the Central West.
"This was something I fought incredibly hard for; having this service would have meant that new and expectant parents in Cowra and across the entire Central West region, would no longer have to travel to Sydney or Canberra for specialised support.
"I have been assured the services provided by the Tresillian Family Care Centre will not be impacted by this decision, and that there will be no interruption to the services they are currently providing to so many families in our community.
"I have received assurances from Health Infrastructure NSW and Western NSW Local Health District, that there will be no further changes to the scope of the Cowra Hospital redevelopment project, and that the promised components of the Clinical Services Plan as it currently stands, will be delivered in full, and that the main works will commence in January 2024.
"I have spoken to Cowra Mayor Ruth Fagan to inform her of this news, and to assure her that from my perspective, this is not the end of the matter, and as always I will keep the community updated on any new information as it comes to hand," she concluded.
A Health Infrastructure spokesman added despite the change to the plan "New mothers and their babies in the region will continue to be supported by the existing Cowra Tresillian Day Service, and WNSWLHD will also explore partnership options with Tresillian that better meet the needs of the district.
"The project team appreciates the valuable time and input provided by staff and stakeholders into the design process for the redevelopment.
"Site establishment for the redevelopment is underway, with main works construction expected to start in January 2024.
"The community will continue to be updated as works progress, with the new hospital expected to be operational in 2025," the spokesman concluded.
They added there are no other changes to the existing clinical services being delivered as part of the redevelopment, which will include:
- An emergency department
- A general medical and surgery inpatient ward, including spaces to provide palliative care
- A peri-operative service (a range of surgical procedures)
- A maternity unit with a dedicated nursery
- Ambulatory care (services for outpatients) and Hospital in the Home
- Oral health (dental clinic)
- Renal dialysis (dialysis treatment for outpatients)
- Oncology (chemotherapy treatments)
- Community and allied health
- Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol services
- A medical imaging department including a new CT scanner and ultrasound