Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner today said after years of Labor neglecting Penrith’s health needs they can’t be trusted to deliver ‘new’ beds and staff at Nepean Hospital.
\”All too often Labor makes grand announcements before an election but fails to follow through. Kristina Keneally has proven herself to be ‘lights, camera, no action’,” Mrs Skinner said.
\”After 15 years of Labor Nepean Hospital has the longest surgicalwaiting list in NSW, with 3,009 people waiting for surgery.
\”53 per cent of Nepean patients with a potentially life threatening condition wait longer than 30 minutes for emergency treatment.
\”40 per cent of patients wait longer than eight hours to be admitted to a hospital bed from emergency.
“Today’s announcement is from the same incompetent State Labor Government which placed a freeze on recruiting frontline staff, which created 20 full time equivalent nurse vacancies in the maternity unit, 14.5 vacancies in the emergency department and six vacancies in the operating theatres.
“Labor has failed the people of Penrith.
\”Hospital staff have told me that ten of the ‘new’ beds are in the medical assessment unit,which have been sitting idle for three months because of Labor’s failure to staff them,” she said.
\”The other 16 ‘new’ beds are simply re-opening existing beds which have been closed by Labordue to resource constraints.
\”Questions remain whether the promised ‘new’ staff will be in addition to filling existing vacancies in the emergency department, maternity unit and operating theatres.
\”Carmel Tebbutt must also say whether she met with the Nurses Association which requested a meeting in March and Medical Staff Council, or did she again snub them.
“The only way to deliver better health services in Penrith is to change the State Government and for that to happen Stuart Ayres needs to be elected as the Member for Penrith at the 19 June by-election,” Mrs Skinner said.
