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Della defends rehab closure

Minister of Health and Minister for the Central Coast Mr Della Bosca has defended the decision to close Woy Woy Hospital's rehabilitation unit on the basis that it was made on advice from clinicians.

He told Peninsula News last week that the consolidation of rehabilitation beds at Wyong Hospital was the recommendation of clinicians and was "in line with the recommendations of the 2008 Northern Sydney Central Coast Health Clinical Services Plan".

"The area health service has consulted with clinicians about the best way to provide in-patient rehabilitation services for the Central Coast," Mr Della Bosca said.

"Clinicians have told us that rehabilitation services would be best provided in an acute hospital setting.

"By having a rehabilitation ward located at Wyong Hospital, patients have direct access to clinicians in the emergency department and high quality health care facilities and diagnostic services - none of which is available on site at Woy Woy."

Mr Della Bosca said the 30-bed dedicated rehabilitation centre at an acute hospital would benefit patients by improving access to emergency and specialist medical services.

He said the centre would also improve patient care through additional general and after hours' medical coverage available at Wyong and improve the training and supervision opportunities for clinical staff.

"The main priority is the provision of the best possible patient care in the most appropriate setting to improve the recovery process," Mr Della Bosca said.

"I have asked the area health service to consult with the staff and the community about the new facilities."

However, the Minister did not attend a meeting held in Woy Woy to protest the closure.

More than 70 concerned residents, former staff and patients joined Cr Jeff Strickson and Member for Terrigal Mr Chris Hartcher to oppose the closure of Woy Woy Rehabilitation Unit at a meeting at Woy Woy CWA Hall on November 19.

At the meeting, the Save Woy Woy Rehabilitation Action Committee handed a 3500- signature petition opposing the rehabilitation unit closure for Mr Hartcher to present in State Parliament.

Action group coordinator Mr Bob Mudge said he feared the closure of the unit, planned for December 2, could be "the start of the end" for Woy Woy Hospital.

Both Cr Jeff Strickson and Mr Hartcher agreed the rehabilitation closure could be "the first step to closing the hospital".

"They have already told us they will be renaming the hospital to a medical centre or community centre but we believe this could be the start of the end," Mr Mudge said.

"The outpatient facility takes on about 90 people a day and we believe that this will close in 18 months.

"One of the issues for area health has been they want to change the name because they don't want people to think there is an emergency and accident department there and, as we all know, there never has been."

Northern Sydney Central Coast Health corporate communications manager Mr Terry Hayes said discussions about changing the name of Woy Woy Hospital had been around for a number of years and did not arise from the Woy Woy Rehabilitation Unit closure.

"The change in name is only in the discussion stages at present," Mr Hayes said.

"Woy Woy is not an acute facility which provides an emergency service unit.

"Therefore, it should not be classed as a hospital.

Former Woy Woy Hospital administration worker Ms Jean Hillman of Booker Bay said: "My feelings on this are that eventually we're going to lose the whole of that base hospital," Ms Hillman said.

"What I want to know is how is Gosford going to cope with an overload of Woy Woy outpatients, say 120 extra people a day, when now the wait can be anywhere from five to nine hours.

"They have closed Woy Woy rehab unit saying it is going to be used for ancillary services when the population here on the Peninsula is an elderly population.

"We've had that unit here for 30 years.

"Why are they taking it away?

"We need medical services here on the Peninsula."

Ms Hillman said to have a 30-bed unit closed when Gosford was "crying out for beds" made "no sense".

"I challenge Mr Della Bosca and Central Coast Area Health representatives to call a meeting for the community and explain first-hand what is going on with Woy Woy rehab and other areas of Woy Woy Hospital," Ms Hillman said.

Cr Strickson said that Gosford Council had not received a response from Marie Andrews or John Della Bosca about the closure.

"Those letters were written and sent on October 14 and to date no official reply has come back from Mr Della Bosca or Ms Marie Andrews."

"The biggest problem we seem to have is in specialist treatment where specialists are on call at Wyong but not here in Woy Woy."

Cr Strickson said that he had been told by the department that the move was to protect "acute" patients undergoing daily rehabilitation: "If you take a nasty turn, you have to be taken from the Woy Woy Hospital to Gosford Hospital by ambulance and returned."

He said that the department was concerned about the risk patients' faced while being transported in between hospitals.

"I asked them, in the 30 years of Woy Woy Hospital, how many patients have died?

"Their answer was: Zero.

"I would put to Mr Della Bosca that the facilities here at Woy Woy are top notch and we do need specialists here and that would seem to be the only argument in this matter."

Mr Hartcher urged the Peninsula community to "continue to spread the message" in saving, not just the Woy Woy Rehabilitation Unit, but also the entire hospital.

"This is the first step to closing that hospital," Mr Hartcher said.

"You would think that an ageing population living on the Woy Woy Peninsula would have some form of health service and now it is to be cruelly taken away.

"It is cruel and shows a level of indifference that is simply appalling.

"The biggest loss that we have had in recent years was when the Central Coast lost its area health service and was forced to merge with the North Shore.

"All the money has inevitably been drained from the Central Coast into Royal North Shore."


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