PORT Stephens residents appear no closer to seeing X-ray facilities at the Tomaree Community Hospital despite Hunter New England Health being forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to make up for its absence.
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According to figures obtained by the Examiner, Hunter New England Health (HNEH) spent $221,000 using private health providers to deliver X-ray services during the previous 12 months and anywhere between $19,760 and $90,531 on transfers to Newcastle in the second half of 2011.
Patients who present at Tomaree hospital are sent either to Hunter Imaging Group, a private practice located in Nelson Bay or to Newcastle hospitals, depending on the time of day and severity of the case.
According to greater Newcastle hospital cluster general manager Derene Anderson 76 patients requiring general diagnostic imaging services were transferred from Tomaree hospital to the John Hunter and Calvary Mater hospitals in Newcastle in the second half of 2011, with each patient transfer costing between $260 to $1191.20.
While Ms Anderson said the majority of those cases would still have needed care at a larger hospital due to their severity, the Examiner has heard numerous reports of patients being transferred to Newcastle for relatively minor reasons, though not specifically relating to X-ray.
One Hunter Health employee, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of losing her job, said she had seen a number of "inappropriate" cases being transferred to Newcastle due to lack of services and hospital staff not confident enough in their abilities.
"There really is a lack of facililties and lack of support," she said.
"You understand that some [cases] have to go to Newcastle but more and more are sending innapropriate patients."
"Paramedics end up spending the majority of their shift driving back and forth to Newcastle ... the isolated nature of Port Stephens means if they [the paramedics] are taking patients to John Hunter they may not have a spare car to send up to stand by ... it means there are no paramedics covering the area."
Despite HNEH labelling the introduction of the service a "priority need" in January, little progress appears to have been made, with Ms Anderson saying Hunter Health were interested in expanding the use of private practices to after hour care, a service not currently available in Port Stephens.
Port Stephens MP Craig Baumann, who in the past labelled the service as desperately needed, told the Examiner in January that the state government would conduct a review into the viability of the service, however admitted when speaking in relation to this story that no progress had been made on any review.
