Northern Beaches Hospital

The Northern Beaches Hospital is a hospital in Frenchs Forest, located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Northern Beaches Hospital
  • Northern Sydney Local Health District
  • Healthscope
Main Entrance of Northern Beaches Hospital
Geography
LocationFrenchs Forest, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates33.750751°S 151.232880°E / -33.750751; 151.232880
Organisation
Care system
Funding
  • Public
  • For-profit
TypeGeneral
Network
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds488
Helipads
Helipad(ICAO: YXNL)
Number Length Surface
ft m
1 concrete
History
Opened30 October 2018
Links
Websitewww.northernbeacheshospital.com.au
Northern Beaches Hospital, Sydney, Australia
Main foyer of Northern Beaches Hospital
Atrium of Northern Beaches Hospital

History

In May 2013 the State Government announced the Northern Beaches Hospital would be built at Frenchs Forest. Upon its completion it became the primary hospital for the Northern Beaches, with Manly Hospital to close and Mona Vale Hospital to be downgraded.[1] It is operated by Healthscope.[2] In December 2014, Leighton Contractors were selected to build the hospital.[3] The hospital opened on 30 October 2018.

As part of the project, a series of road enhancements were made to the adjoining Forest Way, Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Road by a Ferrovial/York Civil joint venture.[4] Upgrades were completed in mid-2020.

The hospital is not a traditional public hospital, and it is expected that 40% of beds will be reserved for private patients. Doctors are paid less to treat public patients than those with private health insurance.[5][6]

Since opening, the hospital has attracted criticism, with a doctor's union accusing the private operator of being "incompetent" and driven by "profit before patient care".[7] The hospital has also experienced problems with insufficient staffing numbers and lack of basic medical supplies such as insulin. Dr Tony Sara, from the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation of New South Wales, told the ABC that "There is not a complete and proper blood bank...There are ongoing reports of lack of medicines, lack of forms and clinical policies and processes." In February 2020 the hospital was the subject of a parliamentary inquiry which found "the public-private hospital model had the potential to negatively affect people from lower socio-economic backgrounds", recommending that the government not implement public-private public hospitals in future.[8]

References
  1. World Class Hospital for Northern Beaches Archived 20 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine Minister for Health 2 May 2013
  2. Union fears Northern Beaches private hospital plan will prioritise profits over patients ABC News 29 October 2014
  3. Leighton signs Northern Beaches Hospital contract CPB Contractors
  4. Northern Beaches Hospital road upgrade project Road & Maritime Services
  5. "100 doctors offered jobs at the new Northern Beaches Hospital have yet to sign contracts". Daily Telegraph.
  6. Han, Esther (18 November 2018). "Doctors threaten to withhold treatment at Northern Beaches Hospital". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  7. Mayers, Lily (18 November 2018). "Northern Beaches Hospital doctors accuse operators of being 'arrogant' and 'incompetent'". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Sydney.
  8. Risso, Angelo (27 February 2020). "Northern Beaches Hospital model slammed". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
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