Are industry leaders being told a different story by Albury Wodonga Health?

Date
2 February 2024

Better Border Health (BBH) has called on Albury Wodonga Health to explain insights that will be shared next month by a member of its executive, highlighting how complex cross border community consultations have created a masterplan bringing together 24/7 services and clinical expertise on a single greenfield site. 

Albury Wodonga Health Executive Director Capital Redevelopment, Susan Medlin, will outline a case study at the Health Facilities Design and Development Exhibition and Conference in Sydney on 20 March, referring to the $558 million Albury Hospital as “moving two hospital sites onto a single greenfield site”.

In querying the authenticity of this presentation, BBH reflected on the rudimentary 2023 Masterplan which does not refer to the hospital being built on a single greenfield site. This is in marked contrast to the extensive 700-page 2021 Masterplan that did recommend a greenfield redevelopment. This plan was quietly shelved by both State Governments and only brought to light by an FOI by Dr Amanda Cohn MP MLC in the NSW parliament.

BBH and the Border Medical Association have continued to raise concerns with the authenticity of consultative processes for the hospital revamp including the lack of basic clinical detail such as the number of beds and the service planning to support bed capacity.

Mixed messaging continues over the future of the Wodonga Hospital with entity service planning currently underway, while we are told that surgery will continue at Wodonga. For a member of the Albury Wodonga health executive to present on consultative processes and a single site outcome at this conference smacks of hypocrisy.

A true case study of the underfunded, inadequate redevelopment of Albury Hospital should outline the significant, growing community distrust in the process, and the notable lack of transparency or critical details relating to clinical service needs.

Ms Medlin will also be an industry expert on a panel discussion titled ‘Building for Needs Rather Than What Funds Allow: Rethinking Funding Collaboration and Planning to Deliver Infrastructure that Hits the Mark”. We know the service planning has now undergone several revisions and is still not being shared with clinicians who are tasked with the delivery of world class health care.

If there has been a change of mind and governments are reconsidering the greenfield site, our community will be delighted to learn this before we get too further down the road. We will not give up on a better deal.

Significantly this conference will highlight the inequities of health infrastructure investment both within and between metro and regional areas. Albury Wodonga is the largest health service between Sydney and Melbourne, with a catchment of 300,000 and a capital investment of $558 million from the NSW and Victorian governments.

One comparison highlighted at the conference is the $110.2 million Cowra Hospital redevelopment in regional NSW, secured after a 5-year community campaign. If you were to translate this investment on a per capita basis for Albury Wodonga, our new hospital would have achieved $1 billion in funding.

We genuinely seek to continue to work with Albury Wodonga Health and both State Govts to achieve the best possible outcome for a community; a hospital that will deliver upon the new era of the patient-care provider relationship highlighted by the organisers of this conference.

Ministers’ visit an opportunity for advocacy

Date
6 September 2023

Better Border Health has welcomed a commitment by Albury Wodonga Health to release a master plan for the redeveloped Albury Hospital by the end of October.

The community advocacy group, which met NSW and Victorian Health Ministers Ryan Park and Mary-Anne Thomas today alongside clinicians from the Border Medical Association, also thanked the Ministers for their visit.

“We welcome the opportunity to canvass alternative proposals for the delivery of health care with the Ministers to meet immediate demand and to provide the growth in services needed for the future,” BBH said.

“There is a crisis right now and safety continues to be compromised even with the proposed new build.

“We have sought assurances from the Ministers that these two issues will be addressed; the need for temporary measures to be taken to meet the daily shortfall in beds being experienced now; and the compromises being made in planning for the redevelopment.

“We look forward to the Ministers returning to Albury Wodonga with answers to these questions. We genuinely seek to continue to work with both State Govts on this.”

Better Border Health and the Border Medical Association recognise that Governments do not have endless money but it is critical, for patient safety, that they deliver a single-site public hospital that would best meet clinical need, as promised by the NSW and Victorian Premiers in October 2022. We know a greenfield site was identified as the preferred option.

Code Yellow response brings renewed concerns about hospital redevelopment

Date
2 May 2023

Better Border Health wishes to publicly acknowledge the entire staff of Albury Wodonga Health – including medical and nursing personnel – for their role in last week’s calling of a Code Yellow in response to an unprecedented demand for acute public health services.

They are the front-line heroes of our increasingly inadequate and failing health infrastructure. Without their ongoing, incredible dedication and commitment to our community’s wellbeing, we would undoubtedly be in far worse circumstances. 

The internal emergency at Albury Wodonga Health this past week saw more than 30 planned surgeries rescheduled and patients facing extraordinarily long waiting times or be transferred to neighbouring hospitals. 

The increasing complexity and volume of very sick people presenting to the Emergency Department has seen people once more being treated in hospital waiting rooms and other areas.

The time has well and truly come for our community to call to account the announcements made by the NSW and Victorian State Governments in October 2022.

Before one sod of dirt is turned on the constrained Albury Hospital site on Borella Road, there must be public confirmation of the number of additional beds, operating theatres and services that will be provided by the $558 million investment. It is not enough for some of our leaders and key stakeholders to accept without proof that we will receive what our community so sorely needs.

It is time for a clear link to be drawn between the figures outlined in the 2021 Clinical Services Plan and the business case for investment in the redevelopment project. Facts related to the health needs of our region must drive any relevant cost proposal.

Our community must have full detail as to how this meagre investment will serve the health care demands of a growing regional population, for now and the next two decades. We must know exactly when change will be effected and how safe and full health services will continue to be delivered in the interim and extended construction period.

Our clinicians and health care workers deserve better – and so do the people of Albury Wodonga. Our undersized, out-dated hospitals are failing to meet need. The cost is patient safety until we are united on securing an appropriately funded single-site regional public hospital that will serve us well beyond 2050.

Community questions and expert health opinion have, and will continue to drive our advocacy

Date
2 March 2023

Better Border Health has urged all those involved in the debate regarding the development of a new single-site regional public hospital for Albury-Wodonga to ensure community wellbeing and expert health opinion remain at the centre of all ongoing discussions.

We commend Wodonga Council for its commitment to stand up for the concerns of our local community and its ongoing advocacy for a greenfield site hospital.

We thank Wodonga Council for last month requesting a briefing by the Border Medical Association and Better Border Health, and particularly, for listening to the expert opinion of the region’s health professionals and concerns about how the future health needs of our growing community will be met.

Community need must be paramount. All levels of government and Albury Wodonga Health must listen to our community first.

Better Border Health came together to advocate on behalf of the community that its members are part of, and to support our clinical and health service leaders.

After receiving a request from a second council for a briefing from our community campaign and related health professional opinion, we offer the same opportunity to any other council or agency in the Albury-Wodonga region.

There is outstanding work being undertaken by doctors, nurses and all health professionals at the Albury and Wodonga hospitals and throughout all the region’s health services. We thank all of them for their courage and commitment to caring for our community.

We thank the media for its coverage and for keeping our community informed in this debate.

As a result of this coverage, our community this week learned the Albury-Wodonga community health profile is very poor, and each day the hospital begins with an average of 35 fewer beds than it needs.

Right now, there is no business case for the $558 million redevelopment of the Albury Hospital site and this funding allocation will not be enough to finish a world class hospital for Albury-Wodonga.

While the number of brownfield hospital redevelopments in other centres has been cited, we know there are also examples of substantial greenfield hospital developments in comparable populations in regional NSW and Victoria.

We will continue to listen to public opinion and share those questions and concerns with our community leaders. We will also continue to support our health professionals in providing their input into this important development for Albury-Wodonga and the wider region.

Better Border Health will request a meeting with the Albury Wodonga Health board, seeking clarification for the community of numerous inconsistencies in the information presented at Tuesday night’s AGM.

Wodonga Council advocacy for a purpose-built greenfield hospital welcomed

Date
21 February 2023

The Border Medical Association and Better Border Health have welcomed Wodonga Council’s unanimous support on Monday night for a motion to advocate for a single site Albury Wodonga hospital on a greenfield site.

We congratulate the council on its decision to:

• Call on Albury City Council to advocate for a single site campus hospital on a greenfield site, and lobby the NSW and Australian Governments for more adequate funding;
• Request a meeting with the Victorian Minister for Health, to seek clarification on key outstanding issues outlined in a report to the council;
• Call on the Victorian Government to redirect its $225 million to a greenfield site;
• Call on the Victorian Government to reassure the community that any plans to upgrade the health service will not adversely affect the health and wellbeing of the community;
• Advocate to the Australian Government to leverage the opportunity of the funding commitment from the NSW and Victorian Governments to support the development of a full health precinct for the region.

We commend the Wodonga Council staff for their comprehensive report to Monday’s council meeting and thank the council for meeting with representatives of Better Border Health and the Border Medical Association to brief councillors regarding our community campaign.

We thank the Wodonga Council for acknowledging community concerns and applaud its commitment to support and take the lead in a community campaign to advocate for a state-of-the-art health precinct within a greenfield site that will future-proof our region and provide opportunities for possible partnerships with the private sector and education providers.

Our primary concern remains that the $558 million funding announcement made by the NSW and Victorian Premiers in October 2022 to redevelop the existing Albury Hospital site is inadequate to deliver appropriate care for our population, address inequity and improve health outcomes.

A greenfield site approach has previously been identified as the best way forward to deliver a new single site hospital in the Clinical Services Plan 2021 and the greenfield option was unanimously supported in a motion to the Albury Wodonga Health board in 2022.

Better Border Health and the Border Medical Association will ask to meet with the Albury City Council and other councils in the region to seek further local government support for advocacy for a purpose-built hospital on a single greenfield site for Albury-Wodonga.

Albury-Wodonga Hospital: build it once – build it right

Date
23 November 2022

The Border Medical Association and Better Border Health have welcomed Premier Daniel Andrews’ affirmation on Monday of the partnership between the Victorian and NSW Governments to commit $558 million to build a new regional public hospital for Albury-Wodonga.  

There is no change in our community’s welcome for the NSW and Victorian Premiers coming together in October to address the chronic underinvestment in our hospitals, as well as the signing of the intergovernmental agreement between the two states.

Our community recognises a greenfield site for the new hospital as the most sensible option in line with the service demands forecast for 2040 and included in the Clinical Services Plan 2021. This plan, developed in close collaboration with staff, clinicians and stakeholders identifies the services needed for Albury-Wodonga and the surrounding region in line with forecast population growth and community profile.

Those projected annual service demands include up to 150,000 emergency presentations; up to 80,000 total admissions; approximately 40,000 surgeries; 5700 paediatric admissions; 3200 intensive care patients and 1900 births.

The Border Medical Association and Better Border Health are concerned the forecasts included in the Clinical Services Plan were subject to revision by the NSW and Victorian Governments and their respective health departments before the states’ approval of the plan and the Premiers’ announcement in October. That revision resulted in an 18,000 sq m reduction in the footprint for the new hospital.

Details of the revised Clinical Services Plan, including any changes to the numbers of beds and services to meet long-term community need, have not been made public.

In recent months, there has been a small number of potential greenfield sites nominated, albeit anecdotally, for a new single site hospital for Albury-Wodonga. Our community would welcome a public discussion of these sites – including their benefits and detriments – in an examination to ensure the best possible expenditure of public money to meet our long-term health needs and minimise disruption to clinical services.

There is universal acknowledgment that $558 million will fund only the initial stages of a new hospital and will be insufficient to complete the project without additional investment from one, or all of the private sector, State and Federal Governments.

It is expected to take 12 months to develop a plan for the $558 million funding commitment – including schematics and engineering requirements, before tenders are invited. This provides sufficient opportunity to determine exactly what it will cost to build a world class health service for our region, to secure additional funding, as well as ensure taxpayers receive the best value for money in the process.

We know our community wants transparency throughout this process. We seek honesty and to be reassured this project will achieve an outcome that will meet the needs beyond the next decade of not only Albury and Wodonga residents, but our broader catchment that includes up to 300,000 people.

Severe weather forecast for Sunday forces rally cancellation

Date
13 November 2022

Better Border Health and the Border Medical Association have made the difficult decision to cancel tomorrow’s public rally at Junction Square, Wodonga.

Today’s severe weather warning from the Bureau of Meteorology citing heavy rain and potential thunderstorms for Wodonga on Sunday morning has forced organisers to reconsider going ahead with the event.

In the interests of public safety both at the event and travelling to and from the Wodonga site, we have this afternoon decided to cancel the rally.

We thank all those who have made a commitment to, and supported our event, including the speakers, Wodonga Council staff, and of course the general public for planning to attend.

We hope to be able to bring together our speakers for a mid-week presentation in future to share the key points of their speeches in response to last month’s announcement by the NSW and Victorian Governments of a $558 million redevelopment of the Albury Hospital site.

Please continue to follow our social media channels and our website at www.betterborderhealth.com for further information.

Transcript of Cr Kev Poulton’s speech for Better Border Health rally

Date
13 November 2022

Wodonga Mayor Cr Kev Poulton has kindly shared the transcript of the speech he would have presented at the Better Border Health rally on Sunday 13 November at Junction Square, Wodonga

The method by which Albury Wodonga Health was created was a lesson then of localised determination, against State political resistance, and their views of what was ‘best’ for our communities.

Today we face the same scenario. Two metropolitan-based State Governments, making decisions, announcing ‘their’ plans and doing so without open, and transparent conversations with us.

Our local hospital boards then as now, walk a fine line. Always doing their best but under strict confidentiality agreements and also mindful of competition for other Hospital proposals in either State.

Any public tension our boards cause, jeopardises their private efforts on our behalf.

So public tension or dissatisfaction of the recent announcement must be decided and driven by us. We determine what to accept and anything less than what is appropriate, is not acceptable.

Albury Wodonga Health came to existence because of advocacy for our needs and expectations. These were articulated from the seven (7) regional councils and shires across our border, backed by local medical and hospital practitioners, business leaders and our community repeatedly saying, “things are not good enough here”.

State Health Ministers were chased and cornered. We co-operated by respecting that not all problems could be solved in Melbourne or Sydney but they could be locally.

We worked out what services were to be provided at either hospital; we resolved cross border staff scheduling and made sure our proposal would work.

In the end, our views taken locally, provided the initial success for the creation of Albury Wodonga Health.

Today, using that past approach, I would suggest we should reject the poor, recent proposal foisted upon us, as a political convenience of two State Governments, each in election mode.

We should not accept a financial contribution that appears to have been plucked out of thin air, with no detail, or costing.

We should begin now, by asking our hospital board, medical fraternity and a representation of community members be nominated to a time-framed and public select committee, to determine to our satisfaction the expected health solution the ever growing 200,000+ population of this region should expect.

A plan no doubt will emerge quickly that a greenfield location is best, with rationalisation of current hospital location services, once it is built.

It would provide a clear understanding to all of us, determined locally, what is required and expected within our regional area.

Then plans to build and resource a greenfield location, funds that support the continuing and rationalised hospitals would be determined and sought.

It’s simple. Do we drive this as a community? Or do we let it just happen like two weeks ago?

No-one is at fault as to why we are here today, it is a reality of politics, State and Commonwealth Treasuries.

But today it will be OUR FAULT in the years ahead, should we not resolve to:

1. Reject the recently announced hospital refit as inadequate,
2. Confirm “things are still not good enough here”.
3. Decide by cooperation with our Hospital Board, medical fraternity and with genuine community involvement, to determine what would satisfy us, show everyone that plan, and fight as hard as we can to see it happen.

Community maintains its call for hospital to meet long-term needs

Date
13 November 2022

The Albury-Wodonga community is continuing to advocate for a new world class hospital on a single site for the Border region, even though the weather forced the cancellation of a rally at Junction Square in Wodonga on Sunday.

Better Border Health said a greenfield site for the new hospital was deemed the most sensible option by an increasing majority of the community in response to last month’s announcement of $558 million in NSW and Victorian Government funding for the redevelopment of the existing Albury hospital site.

Our community does recognise the NSW and Victorian Premiers coming together in October to address the chronic underinvestment in our hospitals, as well as the signing of the intergovernmental agreement between the two states after a long delay.

However, the agreement made by the two health departments and the two governments came after their rejection of the first Clinical Services Plan released by Albury Wodonga Health in April 2021. That plan outlined the health infrastructure and services that would be needed by 2040 to meet population projections for the region. A summary of the original plan remains on the Albury Wodonga Health website.

Both State Governments requested a review of the original Clinical Services Plan in consultation with clinicians and the Project Control Group. It considered both greenfield and the Albury rebuild as options before the two health departments decided upon the Albury rebuild as the best option ahead of the Premiers’ announcement in October.

Our concern is that the details of the revised Clinical Services Plan, including the number of beds and services required to meet long-term community need, have not been made public.

There is acknowledgment that $558 million will be insufficient to complete a new hospital – whether built on a brownfield or greenfield site – without additional investment from one or all of the private sector, State and Federal Governments.

Better Border Health, in partnership with the Border Medical Association, is continuing to lobby all governments for the additional monies required to achieve the infrastructure that will fulfill the recommendations that meet population projections by future-proofing a new hospital development.

We call upon all candidates ahead of the upcoming Victorian and NSW elections to make a new hospital for our region their number 1 priority, if they haven’t already done so. We also call upon the Federal members for Indi and Farrer to join our community in calling for matching funding from the Australian Government.

It is expected to take 12 months to develop a master plan for the $558 million funding commitment – including schematics, engineering requirements, as well as identifying the facilities that will be delivered, such as the number of new beds and theatres.

This plan is expected to provide full costings of what the total build will cost, including the financial shortfall to complete the project. This period will be crucial in finalising exactly what it will cost to build a world class health service for our region.

In bringing together our community, we acknowledge the exciting journey ahead of us all. A new hospital for Albury-Wodonga will be the most important facility many of us will see undertaken within our lifetimes in this region. Its impact on us individually – and our community wellbeing as a whole – cannot be underestimated.

We know our community wants transparency throughout this process. We seek honesty and to be reassured this project will achieve an outcome that will meet the needs beyond the next decade of not only Albury and Wodonga residents, but our broader catchment that includes up to 300,000 people.

Mixed feelings for Premiers’ joint health announcement

Date
27 October 2022

Better Border Health and Border Medical Association have received the $558 million joint commitment by the NSW and Victorian Governments to redevelop the Albury Hospital as a single site regional hospital with mixed feelings.

The announcement comes after many years of lobbying by the community and health sector for a new single site hospital that would provide access to safe and quality care close to home; a significant increase in bed stock and surgical theatres; the expansion and increase in the range of health services offered; and the development of a teaching hospital to support recruitment and retention of staff.

Better Border Health convenor, Di Thomas said while the announcement does not deliver a new hospital on a greenfield site, the community would welcome the announcement and acknowledge that Premier Andrews and Premier Perrottet had bridged the political divide between their States.

“It has always been the position of Better Border Health and the Border Medical Association that the best outcome for our community was a new single site regional public hospital on an appropriate greenfield site,” Ms Thomas said.

“Our concern about building on the Albury site is that it would require multiple stages to effect a complete rebuild, with impacts on clinical services that could not be safely and efficiently delivered on what would be a building site for two to three years.

“We have also had concerns about the limitations on the Albury site in ensuring a new hospital was future proofed for the region’s predicted population growth, and could provide space for an education hub and a private hospital.

“We do welcome a commitment by Premiers Andrews and Perrottet to renew the Inter Governmental Agreement first signed when the Cross Border Health service was established on July 1, 2009.”

Ms Thomas said Better Border Health and Border Medical Association would take time to examine the NSW and Victorian announcement before determining the next step in its advocacy campaign.

“We believe now there is agreement between the States on the redevelopment of health facilities in Albury-Wodonga that there is also an opportunity to bring the Federal Government on board to provide additional funding and ensure the best possible outcome for our community.”

Bandage your ‘wounds’ and raise your voice at November rally

Date
13 October 2022

Border community leaders advocating for funds to build a new single site regional public hospital for Albury-Wodonga have announced a second public rally on 13 November 2022 at Wodonga’s Junction Square.

The Better Border Health/Border Medical Association rally will be held almost a fortnight before the Victorian State election, aimed at giving voice to growing community frustration that Albury-Wodonga has so far been ignored by the Andrews Government’s multi-million-dollar announcements to fund new hospitals in regional centres and metropolitan Melbourne.

“Almost six months on from our inaugural rally where about 1000 people gathered at Gateway Lakes on 15 May, we appear no closer to securing an iron-clad commitment from the Victorian, NSW and federal governments to build a new single-site hospital for our region,” said Di Thomas, convenor of Better Border Health.

“We are grateful the issue has been on the table for discussion between Health Ministers and Premiers but there has been limited progress. Albury Wodonga Health remains at a straining point and continues to suffer from years of financial neglect, when compared with similar regional centres in Victoria.

“Our community is bleeding and the time is over for ‘bandaid’ solutions,” Ms Thomas said.

“Running two hospitals in Albury and Wodonga is increasingly a significant risk to public safety. Every day Albury Wodonga Health has to transfer sick patients between the two cities, with doctors often rushing between campuses to get to those in need.”

Ms Thomas said Better Border Health had joined with the Border Medical Association to support the association’s long-term campaign to make governments aware of the critical situation at Albury Wodonga Health and educate the Border community about the urgent need for a new hospital on a single greenfield site.

“Albury Wodonga Health’s own projections show that by 2037, increased patient demand will require 234 acute medical and surgical beds (up from 136); twice as many same day recovery beds (from 12 to 24); 43 per cent greater operating theatre capacity (from 7 to 10); and 50 per cent more inpatient rehabilitation places (from 20 to 30).

“We want people to come along on 13 November from 10am and join us in making our voices heard by all governments. Bandage your ‘wounds’ or dress as a health care worker and pick up your #nomoreborderbandaids badges and stickers.”