New Website to Provide Feedback on Hospital Improvements

NSW Minister for Health, John Della Bosca, has launched a special website to help clinicians, other health staff and the community to provide feedback on how to best improve the public hospital system.

Mr Della Bosca said the new website - www.healthactionplan.nsw.gov.au - had been established to ensure extensive consultation about the recently released Garling Report into acute care in NSW hospitals.

"The website, combined with a series of community visits early next year, will enable us to receive a wide range of views on how to implement the Garling recommendations," the Minister said.

"The website contains an easy to use feedback section to allow people to provide general views on the report or the option to comment specifically on each of the chapters," he said.

The website, which will be updated as the consultation process proceeds, also features:

• An overview of the Garling Report process
• Background about Peter Garling SC
• The consultation process, including vodcasts from the first ministerial forum earlier this week featuring the comments and views of a number of participants
• The outcomes of the first ministerial forum
• How to stay informed about the Garling Report consultation process
• The full Garling Report
  
  

"The Government acknowledges the contribution of the community members, patients, families and staff who assisted Commissioner Garling over the past 10 months to bring his report together," the Minister said.

"Now we're focussed on the hard work of developing an action plan in response to the
recommendations.

"A key message from Commissioner Garling is teamwork - everyone involved in health care needs to work together to improve patient care.

"We are working hard to involve the very people who make our health system work and the people they care for to make sure we get the action plan right.

"While Commissioner Garling describes the health care provided in NSW and Australia as among the best in the world, he is also very clear about the challenges ahead of us," Mr Della Bosca said.

"We need to better manage the sharply increasing demand on health services, an ageing population, rising healthcare costs and workforce shortages," Mr Della Bosca said.

"The Rees Government is committed to delivering a health action plan by March next year in response to the Garling Report.

"Commissioner Garling has provided the Government and the people of NSW with the most comprehensive review of the public health system in generations.

"We're giving the community and clinicians their say so we can establish an action plan as soon as possible next year," the Minister added.