LGNSW election priority focus: Rural, Regional and Community Health
“Rural, regional and remote patients have significantly poorer health outcomes, greater incidents of chronic disease and greater premature deaths when compared to their counterparts in metropolitan areas.”
This was the damning first finding of the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional and remote New South Wales.
For many councils in rural and regional NSW the findings of the inquiry were nothing new as they are all too familiar with the dire situations their communities face when it comes to accessing vital healthcare services.
Although the provision of healthcare is primarily the responsibility of state and federal governments, it is often councils, at the frontline of their communities, that deal with the consequences of inadequate or poorly funded healthcare services. Too often, it is local government that steps in to fill the void: yet another example of cost shifting onto councils.
And for all communities across NSW – whether rural, regional or metro – there is a distinct lack of support for community wellbeing and mental health services, particularly in regards to targeted youth services.
For these reasons, and supported by multiple Annual Conference resolutions over many years, LGNSW is calling for all candidates and parties at the 2023 State Election to commit to:
- Implementing in full the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry into rural and regional health services.
- Increase funding for specialised and appropriate youth and community wellbeing and mental health services to bolster resilience, particularly following disaster.
Ask #1 - Commit to implementing in full the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry into rural and regional health services.
The Parliamentary Inquiry into Health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional and remote New South Wales was established in 2020.
It received 749 submissions (including two from LGNSW), held 15 public hearings and conducted a number of regional site visits.
LGNSW’s first submission set out key concerns and demands from the local government sector, with our supplementary submission detailing the extraordinary degree of cost shifting onto local government for the provision of health services.
The Inquiry’s report, handed down in May 2022, contained 22 critical findings and made 44 recommendations, including:
- the need for a review of the current funding models for all rural and regional Local Health Districts;
- the development and implementation of a 10-Year Rural and Remote Medical and Health Workforce Recruitment and Retention Strategy; and
- the establishment of a Health Administration Ombudsman.
Other key recommendations covered issues such as communication and community engagement; remuneration and employment conditions for nurses and midwives; rural training to build the local workforce; the use of virtual care or telehealth; and the development of the next Rural Health Plan.
The NSW State Government issued its response to the inquiry in September 2022 indicating that 41 of the recommendations were “supported in full or in principle” and three were “noted”.
LGNSW is calling on all 44 recommendations of the report to be implemented in full by any new or continuing State Government.
Ask #2 - Increase funding for specialised and appropriate youth and community wellbeing and mental health services to bolster resilience, particularly following disaster.
The need to respond to community wellbeing and mental health challenges is an important issue confronting the nation, particularly in the wake of recent years of natural disasters. Concurrently, across the state we are facing growing trends in youth mental health issues. According to Beyond Blue, mental health conditions are experienced by one in seven young people aged four to 17 years in any given year.
And, of course, communities in rural and remote areas face further challenges in their ability to access mental health services.
Again, it is councils on the ground with their communities dealing with the consequences of inadequate wellbeing and mental health services.
Councils do have an important role assisting communities, particularly young people, to access the limited services that do exist. This can be through local promotion or through developing partnerships with organisations to operate on a local level.
It’s essential that these services are appropriately funded by federal and state governments, which are ultimately responsible for the provision of primary and allied health services.
LGNSW’s two demands for Rural, Regional and Community Health are detailed in our 2023 Election Priorities document, along with the other nine priority areas.
Councils are also invited to use the resources contained in the Local Government Pre-Election Advocacy Toolkit to build support on this important issue.
Download LGNSW’s 2023 State Election Priorities
BACK TO NEWS