Local lad appointed as Tomaree Hospital chief

For the first time in 20 years, a Port Stephens local has been appointed to the role of Health Service Manager for Tomaree Hospital.

Gary Spain, who has been acting in the role for the past 12 months, was officially appointed to the role last week.

Gary grew up in the local region and attended St Michaels Primary School before pursuing higher education and a career in nursing further afield.

“I’m a Port Stephens local, born and bred,” Gary said.

“It’s nice to have a local lad taking the reigns at the hospital and I’m looking forward to working with a great team of staff to provide care for the Port Stephens community.”

Gary studied Nursing at the University of Newcastle and went on to pursue a career in rural and remote nursing in Western NSW, the Northern Territory and North Queensland.

He returned to the local area in 2002 to accept a nursing position with Hunter New England Health, a role which allowed Gary to return to his family and home town of Tomaree.

In his position as Health Service Manager, Gary will now look at the priorities of the health service and work with the local community to consider future opportunities for the hospital.

“The team at Tomaree Hospital have worked very hard in recent years to ensure our local health service continues to meet the needs of the community. This has included providing locum medical cover to manage Emergency Department presentations and admissions and the appointment of two Nurse Practitioners to support doctors working at the hospital,” Gary said.

“I’m looking forward to working with our partners to continue to provide ongoing, reliable medical services at Tomaree Community Hospital.

“It’s an exciting and challenging time for Tomaree, and I’m proud to be leading our healthcare team as part of this role,” he said.

Contact: Nicole Fuller

Phone: (02) 4921 4477