The death of a two-year-old at Northern Beaches Hospital raises 'serious questions' about public-private partnerships of this sort, said the NSW health minister.
Healthscope-operated Northern Beaches Hospital is back in the spotlight again, for all the worst reasons, with the parents of a two-year-old demanding a full parliamentary review of the hospital following the death of their son after 2.5 hours in an emergency department chair.
Instead NSW Health will stick with the current NSW Audit Office investigation, said health minister Ryan Park this afternoon.
Joe Massa was taken by his parents to Northern Beaches’ ED on the morning of 14 September after a night spent vomiting and dry retching.
A nurse triaged the boy as “category 3” – a potentially life-threatening condition requiring treatment within 30 minutes.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the review into his death revealed that the boy’s heart rate was over 180 beats per minute and his “pale and flat” appearance indicated a life-threatening condition which should have triggered an “immediate and serious response”.
The review found the hospital failed to respond urgently to Joe’s heart rate and failed to respond to concerns from clinicians and his parents.
Parents Elouise and Danny Massa said they wanted a “full and public parliamentary review” into “serious malpractice” at the hospital.
They also called for NSW Health to re-evaluate its contract with Healthscope, the private hospital operator which operates the hospital.
“Our son should be here today. He had his whole life ahead of him, and we trusted Northern Beaches Hospital to provide the care he needed. Instead, he was failed at every level,” the SMH quoted them as saying.
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Northern Beaches Hospital is run via a public private partnership between Healthscope and Northern Sydney LHD (NSW Health). Since 2018 it has provided free public patient services as well as a range of private services. In 2023 Healthscope received $183.7 million for running the public services.
This afternoon NSW health minister released the following statement to HSD:
“My heart goes out to Elouise and Danny – this is a terrible tragedy,” he said.
“As the Minister for Health, this is among the worst possible things that can happen in our health system – a young child who should be with us is no longer alive.
“I have had the opportunity to speak with the parents directly – I never want any parent to go through this.
“In the last 24 hours I have discussed with the Secretary of NSW Health to understand actions being taken in response to this tragedy.
“A Serious Adverse Event Review has been undertaken and I can confirm Northern Beaches Hospital have accepted all recommendations.
“I have made it clear to NSW Health all recommendations need to be implemented in full and as quickly as possible.
“This incident raises serious questions about privatisation and this type of model – the matter of which is the subject of an Auditor General’s review.”
Northern Beaches Hospital is currently the subject of a NSW Audit Office investigation, the scope of which includes the contract between NSLHD and Healthscope, and clinical activity in the emergency department between July 2022 and June 2024.
The AO investigation does not include the decision to deliver a public-private partnership, the design of that PPP, or the merits of government policy objectives.
The NSWAO is expected to deliver its report some time before the end of 2025.
It’s yet another blow for Healthscope, which is in financial dire straits, and which today announced the imminent closure of maternity services in two of its private hospitals, Darwin and Hobart.
Takeover rumours are also swirling around the operator with rival Ramsay Health Care, and private health insurer Bupa mentioned as possible consortium members.
HSD has reached out to both Healthscope and NSW Health for comment on this story. We will update with any response we when receive it.