I would also like to congratulate Edna Carmichael. With all the discussion about us needing women in local government Edna put her hand up as an independent with no allegiances or preferences.

I don’t know her personally but without the glossy brochures and people power support her that Groups may have had on polling day she still managed to gain enough votes to only just miss out on being elected by being excluded on count 49 out of 50 counts.

So thank you for putting your hand up. I hope that Edna and others like her can work over the next 4 years towards a chance for success in the 2020 election. 

RE Response to Margaret Rosenthal’s letter not appropriate regarding Southern Highlands Hospice.

I quite accept that the need for a hospice was recognised by a large group of people and a committee formed.

A large amount of money  (1.7 million dollars is the last figure I saw quoted) has been raised by a lot of volunteers working very hard and I think this is a fantastic effort but not enough money to buy real estate and pay a full-time hospice workforce as I understand it. I believe there are many other hospices serving other larger populations which have had problems financially.

I do not believe this money is being diverted to help state health in so far as this would be a service that state health does not provide. State health struggles to provide services as it is.

If the committee does not want to use the money directly perhaps a foundation or some suitable structure could be formed so only earnings from principal can be spent and the principle preserved.

It would be good to estimate how much it would cost to keep each person in their own home but say $5,000 each for full time care up to a week. Most people might manage on 3-4 days which is the time in my experience that people are admitted to hospital at the end of life for full care that the family cannot provide. Say 4 people a month needed the service at $4000 each – that would be less than $200,000. To help save on cost some of the fit volunteers might be able to help in this care. 

Also I have read Edna Mangold’s letter. I am sorry that she had such a distressing end of life for her husband but I believe that in my proposed hospice-in the-home scenario he would have been able to stay at home to die having been looked after by the Palliative Care Team in conjunction with their GP and care by nurses would have been provided in the home the last few day to enable this to happen and never had to go the hospital.

I have just heard that Dr Nick Hartnell may be able to provide a place to build a hospice which sounds wonderful but there would still be ongoing running costs of a substantial amount I believe.

I would again ask the Committee of SHCH to consider this option of HOSPICE-in-the-HOME seriously to allow an affordable ongoing end-of life care for residents of the Southern Highlands. I have heard that some of Europe and America have such a service.

I REFER to your article of September 22, 2016 “Bowral District Hospital privatisation claims rebuffed”. Obviously Mr. Rowell, State Member for Wollondilly, is at odds with Health Minister Skinner who announced on September 15 an Expression of Interest for “a partner to support the redevelopment of Bowral Hospital”.

The EOI for Partnerships with Hospital Operators issued by NSW Health (Sept 15, 2016) says: “The NSW Government therefore invites experienced hospital operators to submit Expressions of Interest (EOIs) in the provision of clinical services to public patients under a fully funded, long term contractual commitment with the NSW Government at five initial locations: Bowral, Goulburn, Maitland, Wyong and Shellharbour.”

There is no clearer statement that the NSW Government intends to privatise Bowral Hospital.

Your article was linked to the previous article of September 16, 2016 in which Mr Rowell “announced $50 million had been secured for Bowral and District Hospital improvements”. Mr Rowell is well over a year late with his “announcement”. This funding was promised in Pru Goward’s media release of March 10, 2015, subject to the Baird Government being returned at the March 28, 2015 election. The 2015-16 State Budget did not disclose the estimated total cost “due to commercial sensitivity”, but allocated $2 million to commence work on the project (Ref: Budget Estimates 2015-16, Budget Paper No.3, p. 5-3). On June 26, 2015, SHN reported the $50 million pledge by Government to Bowral Hospital.

Mr Rowell says the Clinical Services Plan has been signed off – that plan should be made public to clearly advise what clinical and other services would be added (such as long-awaited renal dialysis), changed or supplemented under the public hospital model, which is now under threat by the announced private operator model. The Minister’s announcement also said “The partnerships that result will ensure that patients receive the same high quality of service regardless of their status as public or private patients”. What will Mr Rowell do next to ensure Bowral Hospital keeps the services it currently provides in the face of the potentially conflicting commercial objectives of a private operator?