Help and Heat Hot Topics at GWS Health Forum

The unveiling of a policy to tackle Greater Western Sydney’s silent killer, the announcement of new patient concierge officers for local hospitals, and real-time data for ambulances were among the key topics addressed at the GWS Future Health Forum.

Featuring NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, the conference was hosted by the region’s leading think-tank, The Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, bringing together more than 250 delegates and leading representatives of the Local Health Districts and Primary Health Networks.

To address the growing pressures on Western Sydney’s local hospitals, Health Minister Ryan Park told the forum at the Western Sydney Conference Centre that the new ‘dedicated patient flow concierge officers’ would support local medical staff.

“With a growing region comes significant demand on our health network. Today we can announce that we will roll out 86 dedicated patient flow concierge officers, and 18 of them will be deployed in Western Sydney,” Mr Park said.

“Discharging patients from hospital is often an admin-heavy task, taking clinicians away from seeing patients. We’ve created this new role to help get patients home as soon as possible once they’re ready to be discharged – freeing up our doctors, nurses and other staff to get on with seeing patients.

“Today, I’m also pleased to announce that the nation-leading initiative real-time ambulance matrix is making strong progress, with rigorous testing of the NewGen matrix commencing next month.”

The $15.1 million funding for Ambulance Matrix supports the revolutionary program with hospital data to enable paramedics to transport patients to emergency departments with greater capacity and reduce wait times.

“The growth in presentations in Western Sydney and South Western Sydney emergency departments has outpaced the state average over the past 10 years. I know this pressure is tough on the system but it’s also tough on our staff,” Mr Park added.

“The benefits of these key initiatives will be most strongly felt right here in Western Sydney.”

At the forum CEO Adam Leto released the Dialogue’s Heat & Health in Greater Western Sydney Discussion Paper. Mr Leto said rising temperatures and cost of living pressures were having an alarming impact on the region and its residents.

“The impacts of intense heat in Greater Western Sydney are clear, and are expected to get worse, as temperatures continue to rise,” Mr Leto said.

“Today’s health forum was held in Penrith which, in 2020, was the hottest place on the planet at 48.9 degrees. In the middle of summer, the daily maximum temperature is 31.2 degrees, compared to 27 degrees in the city.

“Because of these high temperatures, GWS residents are consuming double the amount of energy compared to those living in the eastern suburbs, according to NSW Government data.

“This means that heat isn’t just impacting our health, but also the hip pocket, as many residents continue to wear the high cost of keeping cool.”

A number of measures to help tackle the debilitating impact of heat on health in GWS were outlined in the report, including:

• Western Sydney ‘Pondi’ bus services to connect communities to natural swimming and recreation spaces at Penrith Beach
• Climate-appropriate bus shelters to offer adequate shade and to support public transport use
• Setting and monitoring tree canopy targets to promote local urban greening
• Ensuring all levels of the community are consulted and involved in program development and delivery.

The Forum included important insights on the health, infrastructure and service challenges in Sydney’s fastest-growing region from the Chairs of the region’s Local Health Districts – Peter Collins AM KC, Nepean Blue Mountains, Loretta Di Mento, Western Sydney Local Health District, and Sonja Stewart, South Western Sydney Local Health District.

Dialogue Chairman, Christopher Brown AM, recognised the important work and distinguished career of Sam Haddad, recently retired Chair of the South Western Sydney LHD, presenting him with the Chairman’s Prize for Public Sector Leadership.

“This award recognises not just five years chairing the South Western Sydney LHD, but honours a distinguished career of advocacy for the greater west,” Mr Brown said.

“Sam’s work highlights the importance of taking a transformative approach to healthcare services, strengthening community connections and enabling innovation.

“We need to continue recognising the unique healthcare needs and coordinate our approach to meeting the challenges our region faces. Collectively, the west can be smarter, secure the staff we need and address all our communities’ healthcare needs.”

Mr Haddad thanked the Dialogue and Mr Brown for supporting local public health and advocating for the region.