MEMBER for Myall Lakes Tanya Thompson is calling on the NSW Government to urgently commit to adding a fourth floor of inpatient beds to the Manning Base Hospital redevelopment.
Recent figures highlight the pressure on the hospital, with 19 patients at Manning Base medically ready to leave hospital but unable to be discharged while they wait for appropriate aged-care or NDIS-supported accommodation.
The MP said that while the Minister points the finger at Canberra, the reality for patients, nurses, doctors and paramedics in the Manning is simple: those beds are not available today, and the hospital is already struggling for capacity.
“Our community doesn’t care which level of government [NSW Minister for Health] Ryan Park wants to argue with,” Mrs Thompson said.
“They want to know that when their child is sick, when their elderly parent needs emergency care, or when an ambulance arrives at Manning Base, there is a bed available for them.”
Mrs Thompson said the pressures facing Manning Base extended beyond delayed discharges, with ongoing concerns about workforce shortages, access to specialists, surgical capacity, emergency department demand and the availability of inpatient beds.
“The warning signs have been there for a very long time,” she said.
“Ryan Park himself has previously acknowledged that Manning Base Hospital has been significantly challenged.
“Adding the fourth-floor beds to the plan now, while construction is under way, is common sense. It provides an opportunity to increase inpatient capacity and future-proof Manning Base rather than forcing another expensive redevelopment when the hospital inevitably outgrows the current plans.
“People living outside of Sydney deserve the same care, and they just aren’t receiving it.
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