Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres today applauded moves by Health Minister Jillian Skinner to reintroduce Local Health Districts and to put local clinicians back in charge of making local healthcare decisions.
Mrs Skinner has introduced amendments to the Health Services Act 1997, in order to to re-engage clinicians and once again give voice to local communities.
\”The message from the O’Farrell government is clear.\” Mr Ayres said.
\”As we said during the election, the best people to put in charge of our hospital system are the locals who attend to the needs of patients on a day-to-day basis.
\”After seeing the good work done by local doctors and medical professionals at Nepean Hospital I have every faith in their capacity to improve service delivery under a government which gets out of their way and empowers them to make decisions for themselves.
“After 16 years of Labor, clinicians and patients have been ignored – decision making under Labor was driven by what’s best for Labor rather than what’s best for patients. I’m glad to see we’re turning that around.\”
Mrs Skinner will be seeking advice from the Chairs of Boards to ensure they have the appropriate mix of skills and expertise to fill positions, enhance patient service and be more accountable to local communities. Major changes to board membership are not anticipated.
