AHA!.... the facts on the EOI process of the RNSH Divestment! IMPORTANT PUBLIC INFORMATION RE THE WILLOUGHBY CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF 24 NOVEMBER 2014 CONCERNING THE NOTICE OF MOTION MOVED BY CLR L SAVILLE ON THE RNSH DIVESTMENT! ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING 24 NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 38 20.2 NOTICE OF MOTION: ROYAL NORTH SHORE HOSPITAL DIVESTMENT RESPONSIBLE OFFICER: GREG WOODHAMS - ACTING GENERAL MANAGER CITY STRATEGY LINK: 6.1.1 A COUNCIL THAT IS OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE AND REPRESENTS ITS CONSTITUENTS MEETING DATE: 24 NOVEMBER 2014 Purpose of Report Councillor L Saville has indicated her intention to move the following Notice of Motion. 1. That Willoughby City Council notes that: a. In September 2014 Health Infrastructure announced an expression of interest process for the sale or long term (99 year) lease of the southern campus at Royal North Shore Hospital to a private developer. b. The call for expressions of interest sought private developers and service providers to provide office space for NSW Health and operate the support services listed in the hospital redevelopment’s masterplan including childcare and accommodation for patients, relatives and staff. c. The hospital’s Medical Staff Council was not informed of the expression of interest process d. Land divestment was not discussed with doctors during the development of the masterplan. e. The Local Health District Board was not informed of the timing of the EOI process, according to a Sydney Morning Herald article dated 5 September 2014. f. Health Minister Jillian Skinner has indicated that: i. the NSW government is seeking $97 million from Royal North Shore Hospital to recoup some of the cost of the hospital’s redevelopment, and ii. the plan to sell or provide a 99-year lease for the hospitals’ southern campus was approved in 2006 under the former Labor government. g. This is the not the first time that the Medical Staff Council at RNSH has been sidelined by a state government intent on privatising a part of the site for shortterm financial gain. h. In 2011, RNSH staff, patients and relatives marched on NSW parliament and delivered a petition to the current Liberal Government with 14,962 signatures requesting that there be no sale of land at RNSH. ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING 24 NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 39 i. The Minister responded to the 2011 petition by announcing a freeze on land sale until a campus plan at Royal North Shore Hospital had been developed”. j. The Medical Staff Council at RNSH has objected to the latest proposed divestment and is calling for the EIO process to be stopped in order to keep all of the RNSH site in public hands now and into the future. k. NSW Treasury’s requirement that the RNSH redevelopment be paid for by selling off or divesting a portion of the site to a private developer appears to be unique to RNSH. Other upgrades to NSW public teaching and referring hospitals including Westmead and Liverpool have not been subject to the same demand. 2. That council expresses its opposition to the proposed divestment because: a) The proposal hands over a significant portion of public hospital land and vital support services to the private sector; b) The proposal will block any future expansion of the delivery of health services on this section of the site; c) The NSW government has refused to listen to the community’s wishes that no land divestment take place at RNSH as expressed by the 14,962 signatures tabled in the NSW parliament in 2011; and d) medical and other staff at RNSH have not been consulted about the EOI process. 3. That Willoughby Council calls on Health Minister Jillian Skinner to provide the opportunity for the community to be involved in the decision-making about the future of the provision of health services at RNSH by immediately halting all processes to sell or lease the southern campus. MOTION 1. That Willoughby City Council notes that: a. In September 2014 Health Infrastructure announced an expression of interest process for the sale or long term (99 year) lease of the southern campus at Royal North Shore Hospital to a private developer. b. The call for expressions of interest sought private developers and service providers to provide office space for NSW Health and operate the support services listed in the hospital redevelopment’s masterplan including childcare and accommodation for patients, relatives and staff. c. The hospital’s Medical Staff Council was not informed of the expression of interest process d. Land divestment was not discussed with doctors during the development of the masterplan. ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING 24 NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 40 e. The Local Health District Board was not informed of the timing of the EOI process, according to a Sydney Morning Herald article dated 5 September 2014. f. Health Minister Jillian Skinner has indicated that: i. the NSW government is seeking $97 million from Royal North Shore Hospital to recoup some of the cost of the hospital’s redevelopment, and ii. the plan to sell or provide a 99-year lease for the hospitals’ southern campus was approved in 2006 under the former Labor government. g. This is the not the first time that the Medical Staff Council at RNSH has been sidelined by a state government intent on privatising a part of the site for short-term financial gain. h. In 2011, RNSH staff, patients and relatives marched on NSW parliament and delivered a petition to the current Liberal Government with 14,962 signatures requesting that there be no sale of land at RNSH. i. The Minister responded to the 2011 petition by announcing a freeze on land sale until a campus plan at Royal North Shore Hospital had been developed”. j. The Medical Staff Council at RNSH has objected to the latest proposed divestment and is calling for the EIO process to be stopped in order to keep all of the RNSH site in public hands now and into the future. k. NSW Treasury’s requirement that the RNSH redevelopment be paid for by selling off or divesting a portion of the site to a private developer appears to be unique to RNSH. Other upgrades to NSW public teaching and referring hospitals including Westmead and Liverpool have not been subject to the same demand. 2. That council expresses its opposition to the proposed divestment because: a) The proposal hands over a significant portion of public hospital land and vital support services to the private sector; b) The proposal will block any future expansion of the delivery of health services on this section of the site; c) The NSW government has refused to listen to the community’s wishes that no land divestment take place at RNSH as expressed by the 14,962 signatures tabled in the NSW parliament in 2011; and d) medical and other staff at RNSH have not been consulted about the EOI process. 3. That Willoughby Council calls on Health Minister Jillian Skinner to provide the opportunity for the community to be involved in the decision-making about the future of the provision of health services at RNSH by immediately halting all processes to sell or lease the southern campus. ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING 24 NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 41 MOVED COUNCILLOR SAVILLE SECONDED COUNCILLOR ROZOS CARRIED Voting For the Motion: Councillors Sloane, Saville, Rozos, Norton and Hill. Against: Councillors Giles-Gidney, Eriksson, Hooper and Rutherford. Absent: Councillor Coppock.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 06:09:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015