New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally says she is hoping to ensure support for regional and rural hospitals in her negotiations over the Federal Government’s health reform package.

The State Government is running a seminar for health professionals today to gather feedback to take to the Prime Minister.

Those attending today’s forum in Sydney include the chairman of the Greater Western Area Health Advisory Council, Steve Flecknoe Brown, and Greater Western Area Health Service CEO Danny O’Connor.

Ms Keneally says she is keen to ensure small hospitals around the state are not closed under the reforms simply because they are not cost efficient.

“Some hospitals in NSW would not meet an efficient price-per-service, simply because they have a low population base. Yet they still need to deliver care in those circumstances,” she said.

“So we would like to see weighting put in place on that price-per-service.”

The chairwoman of the Orange Medical Staff Council, Dr Ruth Arnold, has also been invited to today’s forum.

Dr Arnold says continuing under the current system is unrealistic.

“I’m hopeful that today’s forum will be very valuable. Major health reform is needed,” she said.

“Without some very different ways of doing things we’re going to be in big trouble with escalating costs and no answers. I think the worry is that people will say, ‘it’s all too hard, let’s not do anything’.”

She says it is important that any health reform provides more investment in rural and regional health services.

“A new model such as this may not see a large net increase in the actual funding, but I think it’s a good thing that the Federal Government takes on some of the responsibility,” she said.

“I think if there’s a direct link of every single patient that comes into hospital attracts some percentage of federal money, I think that’s perhaps an improvement.”

Impractical

Dr Flecknoe-Brown says the Federal Government’s activity-based funding proposal is impractical.

“It is not realistic to base it purely on the basis of what we do because we have to provide round-the-clock cover in our base hospitals and we have to have certain spare capacity in our smaller hospitals so that people can be looked after properly without having to go hundreds of kilometres to get relatively minor things attended to,” he said.

He says while extra funding from the Commonwealth will help, hospitals and health services must be managed locally.

“Decision making has to be delegated as close as possible to where … patient care actually occurs,” he said.

“If you don’t have the people who are providing the care having a sense of involvement and at least input into spending decisions, it’s not going to work and that’s been recognised.”