Gunnedah Shire Council is calling on the Minister for Health to review the performance of Hunter New England Local Health District services.

It comes as the Legislative Assembly Committee on Community Services conducts an inquiry into splitting the health district Gunnedah is a part of.

It would have the Hunter New England Local Health District dissolved with the Hunter Local Health District and New England North West Local Health District created.

Under this bill, the Gunnedah shire would be placed in the New England North West Local Health District.

The officer’s recommendation at the April ordinary meeting was for council to make a submission in favour of the split.

A draft letter in support of splitting the district said it was “in a bid to secure better, more regionally-focussed outcomes for [the] community”.

A council survey conducted in March also found that most respondents were in favour (73.61 per cent).

A different motion was made by Cr Rob Hooke, under the concern there was not enough information behind splitting the district.

“There are so many unanswered questions there,” he said.

His recommendation was to flag with the Minister for Health and the Hunter New England Local Health District the results of the survey which shows “there is a complete lack of trust [and] support from them for our health services within this district”.

“Not only just the Gunnedah local government area, but also for the wider communities broaching right up to Tamworth and going out to Wee Waa and places like that,” Cr Hooke said.

“Hopefully they might take some notice.”

In support of Cr Hooke’s motion was Cr Robert Hoddle who said last year he would have agreed with splitting the district. However, after experiencing a transfer to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital at the beginning of year, he was not so sure.

Cr Hoddle was concerned splitting the district would possibly mean less access to that service.

“It may not give us the improvement in health services we require because it is going to require a hell of a lot of administration, duplication, [and] rebadging,” he said.

“We would have limited access to John Hunter Hospital which now is a seamless access.”

He did not see the survey as an accurate representation of Gunnedah with only 72 participants.

Cr Hoddle further felt that medical professionals needed to weigh in on the policy to further educate what standpoint the council should take.

Not everyone was in support. Cr Tammey McAllan was worried about missing the deadline for a submission.

“If we miss the opportunity … we are doing a [disservice to] the people who have actually done the survey,” she said.

“The medical professionals had an opportunity to put their feedback in the survey and no one actually responded.”

Cr Cameron Moore was also against not putting a submission forward, stating the standard for health care has gone down.

“I think what we have now isn’t working,” he said.

Cr Juliana McArthur had questions about motion, despite agreeing with the intent of it. She was worried about the ambiguity for the health minister in reviewing the “performance” of Hunter New England Health Services and wanted criteria to be given.

She wanted to know whether this revision would happen before splitting the district and if the survey numbers were enough to prove a “significant” dissatisfaction, as stated in the motion.

“[Health services in Gunnedah] has a lot left to be desired, particularly continuity of care,” she said.

“That does not take away from the doctors on the ground in Gunnedah but it is a recognition that quite often the can gets kicked down the road to put more of a load on Tamworth and other regional centres.”

Cr Hooke said the criteria needed to be left general as a medical professional needed to determine what the markers should be.

The motion was carried.

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