Hospital under threat | Coffs Coast News | Local News in Coffs Coast

Bellingen doctor Deirdre Little speaking yesterday about the significant reporting errors.

THE survival of Bellingen Hospital is in more doubt following revelations that incorrect information will be given to the NSW Government to assess its viability.

A public meeting yesterday heard that corrections of statistical errors underpinning the NSW Health Review Taskforce’s report on Bellingen Hospital would not be incorporated into the final report being forwarded to NSW Health Minister, Carmel Tebbutt.

As insurance, the community-backed Bellingen Health Action Group has written to the Minister to highlight the inaccuracies.

In December, local health professionals went through Taskforce information and uncovered significant errors in population, postcode, age demographics, palliative care services and more. Corrections were then handed to the North Coast Area Heath Service.

Bellingen doctor Deirdre Little said the response received on Christmas Eve was infuriating.

“The NCAHS said it would ‘note’ the seaboard and valley are part of the hospital’s catchment,” Dr Little said.

“Originally they said the hospital catchment was 2900, figures for Bellingen only, dating back to 2006 – the figure is actually more than 10,000, an error of 350 per cent!”

In addition, Dr Little said the NCAHS refused to analyse statistics which incorrectly said Bellingen had provided no palliative care to patients last year.

“The statistics are rubbish – we found a 23 per cent rate of error in coding and this is being ignored.”

The final straw was being criticised for administering ‘excessive blood transfusions’.

“We don’t invent the need for blood transfusions.”

Meanwhile fellow doctor, Rufina Lam, who is a member of the Taskforce, sat by frustrated because under the terms of a confidentiality agreement, she can say nothing. “I’m one of those who is gagged,” Dr Lam said.

To speak out would risk being sued or possibly worse.

Yesterday the community was enlisting the political clout of NSW Nationals leader and local member for Oxley, Andrew Stoner.

Mr Stoner told the meeting to feed him whatever information they had so he could use it in his questions in parliament.

“If we stand united on this we can’t be beaten,” Mr Stoner said.

Bellingen Health Action Group member Pia Dollmann said far from improving the quality of patient care in NSW, the review appeared to be an economic review.

“It is blatant misuse of the process,” she said. “The final report is misleading and does not reflect our needs truthfully.”

Bellingen Council representatives will meet with Ms Tebbutt in Sydney on February 24.