New direction in healthcare for Forster-Tuncurry

The community of Forster-Tuncurry is a step closer to receiving a new health ‘one stop shop’ in the form of an integrated HealthOne Centre, Hunter New England Health Chief Executive Terry Clout said today.

Mr Clout said Hunter New England Health’s submission for a HealthOne centre at Forster had been approved to proceed to a more a detailed planning stage. It is planned that the centre will bring together an after hours primary care service with community and other primary healthcare services.

“This is good news for the people of Forster-Tuncurry and surrounding Great Lakes region,” Mr Clout said.

“The strong proposal put forward is a credit to a partnership between Hunter New England Health, and the Cape Hawke Community Hospital and Health Association, in conjunction with the local GPs, the Hunter Rural Division of General Practice and the Cape Hawke Community Private Hospital,” he said.

“The HealthOne centres represent a clear direction towards improving early intervention and reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

“We are committed to this new direction in healthcare that will bring improved access to a comprehensive range of services for people of the Great Lakes region,” Mr Clout said.
 
The Forster-Tuncurry HealthOne centre will bring together a wide spectrum of primary healthcare services including:

• A local emergency assessment service involving GPs and nurse practitioners, that will operate for extended hours, including weekends
• Community health services and community nursing
• Allied health services
• Local mental health assessment facilities
• Additional specialist medical services
• Other health-related services

“With a comprehensive mix of services, the Forster-Tuncurry HealthOne will address primary healthcare needs for the community, focusing on wellness, early detection, intervention, prevention, treatment and education,” Mr Clout said.

“HealthOne integrates NSW public health services with Federally-funded primary care services to bring clear benefits to the community by improving their access to this type of team-based care with an emphasis on keeping people well and out of hospital.

“Combining all these services into a modern facility will also help attract and retain GPs and other health professionals to the region to work in a multi-disciplinary team environment focused on providing patient-centred and integrated care.

Contact: Kay Cope

Phone: (02) 6776 9817