New direction in healthcare for Quirindi

The community of Quirindi 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 at Quirindi had been approved to proceed to a more detailed planning stage.

The centre will bring together GPs with community and other primary healthcare services.

“This is good news for the people of Quirindi and surrounding areas. The strong proposal put forward is a credit to local GPs, Hunter New England Health, the Liverpool Plains Shire Council, and the North West Slopes Division of General Practice,” Mr Clout said.

“The HealthOne centres represent a clear direction from the NSW State Plan towards improving early intervention and prevention services, management of chronic conditions and reducing avoidable hospital admissions.”

The Quirindi HealthOne will bring together a full spectrum of primary healthcare services, including:

• General practitioners
• Community health services and community nursing
• Allied health services
• Visiting medical specialists
• Other health-related services

“With a comprehensive mix of services, the Quirindi 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,” she said.

“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.

“We are committed to this new direction in healthcare that will bring improved access to a comprehensive range of services for people using a one-stop-shop approach in the Quirindi area,” Mr Clout said.

It’s planned the HealthOne centre will be located at Quirindi Hospital, bringing the local GPs, community health and hospital services together on the one site.

Contact: Kay Cope

Phone: (02) 6776 9817