Terms of Reference for 2025 Inquiry Into the Safety and Quality of Health Services provided by Northern Beaches Hospital Released
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby, following on from her statement last week, spoke in the NSW Parliament on Tuesday November 18 2025, stating:
''I cannot be clearer when I say the perception of Northern Beaches Hospital is that it is failing the people of the northern beaches. Family after family have told me that if they are in trouble, they will move on from Northern Beaches Hospital and go directly to Royal North Shore Hospital instead. The hospital is a public-private partnership that has an inherent conflict—a for-profit entity delivering public health services.
''Recent devastating stories covered in the media of parents who have lost their children during treatment at Northern Beaches Hospital include Elouise and Danna Massa, who lost their beautiful baby boy, Joe, when he was two years old; and Leah Pitman and Dustin Atkinson, who only a couple of weeks ago lost their baby girl, Harper. These families want accountability to make sure that tragedies like this never happen again.''
''Those stories have triggered an outpouring of others sharing their stories with my office, on social media and throughout the community about how they feel the Northern Beaches Hospital has also failed them. This outpouring has prompted me and other Independents, including the member for Wakehurst and Federal MPs, to call for more to be done. I thank the Government for acknowledging what is going on at the Northern Beaches Hospital and for announcing last Friday it would hold a public inquiry.''
''I acknowledge the people who have contacted me to tell me their stories and concerns about the hospital and how they want action from this public inquiry. I heard from a lady whose husband attended emergency after fracturing seven ribs, his collarbone and shoulder blade in a cycling accident. He was left without food for over 50 hours, experienced significant delays in surgery and poor communication.
''I also heard from an 80-year-old woman who had deep vein thrombosis, had to wait seven hours to see a doctor and had delays in her surgery. I head from parents of another two-year-old who presented at emergency with constipation, urine retention and severe lethargy. They waited 36 hours to see the head of paediatrics despite their child having a dangerously over-expanded bladder, and other treatments that were needed also delayed. A 67-year-old lady had to wait 9½ hours in emergency with atrial fibrillation. The people of the northern beaches are telling me that they do not have trust in the Northern Beaches Hospital and that is simply not good enough.'' Ms Scruby said
''I have also heard from health practitioners and experienced nurses and midwives who are telling me that their colleagues are leaving the Northern Beaches Hospital. They have provided examples of how cost cutting is impacting patient care. I commend them for their outstanding work. I also acknowledge that Healthscope is not adhering to the nurse ratios that are implemented in other public hospitals. For example, at the postnatal maternity ward at Royal North Shore Hospital the ratio is one nurse to three mothers and babies. However, this ratio is not followed at the Northern Beaches Hospital.''
''At the time of writing this speech, I also looked into New South Wales Department of Health wait times. Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital had three patients assessed by a triage nurse while waiting for treatment. Royal North Shore Hospital had 10 and Canterbury Hospital had nine, but Northern Beaches Hospital had 19.
I acknowledge the prior work of the member for Wakehurst, along with Dr Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall, in calling for the New South Wales Auditor-General to conduct an audit into the hospital. However, the terms of reference are limited to looking particularly at the contracts and management of the hospital.
I commend the Government for acknowledging that a public inquiry is now appropriate and will give an opportunity for people from my community to tell their stories about the hospital.''
''The onus will be on me and other members to make sure that people in the community know they have this opportunity to have their voices heard. To be clear, the Northern Beaches Hospital is a failure of the former Liberal Government policy to privatise public services. Our community was promised that the Northern Beaches Hospital would provide state-of-the-art services when it opened. The reality has been anything but. It has already been subject to a previous parliamentary inquiry in 2019, and we are still seeing the issues of the inherent conflict in a public-private partnership. There are also concerns over the financial viability of Healthscope. The ability to deliver top healthcare services is brought into question when a for-profit company is attempting to run a not‑for‑profit service.'' the MP for Pittwater stated in closing
On Friday March 14, 2025 the government announced the NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee will conduct an inquiry into the safety and quality of health services provided by Northern Beaches Hospital, after a request by Health Minister Ryan Park.
Minister Park wrote to the Committee’s Chair Jason Yat-Sen Li requesting the inquiry following the tragic death of Joe Massa after receiving care at the hospital.
The scope of the inquiry will stretch back to the hospital’s commencement as a privately operated facility from October 2018.
It will consider incidents at the hospital including those the subject of serious adverse event reviews (SAERs); how the hospital responded; and the extent to which it implemented changes prompted by those incidents.
It will look at how the hospital supports patient and carer escalation, including the Recognise, Engage, Act, Call, Help is on its way (REACH) protocol – an initiative which was found to be insufficiently accessible in the case of Joe Massa.
It will also examine the adequacy of systems and processes designed to prevent adverse events, as well as the staff standards and capabilities.
See last week's report: Parliamentary inquiry into Safety and Quality of Northern Beaches Hospital Services Announced
The hospital was similarly the subject of another parliamentary inquiry in 2019, which looked at its operation and management.
See: Hospital Inquiry Report Released: Recommends Looking after the people – not the profiteers + ceasing demolition of MVH + returning an Emergency Department to Mona Vale Hospital - February/March 2020
The Terms of Reference are:
1. That the Public Accounts Committee examine, inquire into and report on the audited financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2024 and associated annual reporting information of the Northern Sydney Local Health District and the NSW Ministry of Health, as they specifically relate to the public health services funded by Northern Sydney Local Health District and delivered at Northern Beaches Hospital.
2. That as part of this inquiry the Committee inquire into and report on the safety and quality of health services provided at Northern Beaches Hospital from the period 30 October 2018 to 13 March 2025, and in particular:
a. Services provided by the Emergency Department, including to vulnerable patients and children
b. The number, type, and severity of reportable incidents and other incidents for which a Serious Adverse Event Review (SAER) within the meaning of the Private Health Facilities Act 2007 (NSW) and Regulation, was undertaken (each, a Review Incident)
c. The response of Northern Beaches Hospital to Review Incidents, including the extent to which findings and recommendations of any investigations into those incidents were accepted or implemented
d. How Northern Beaches Hospital implements and supports patient and carer escalation programs, including but not limited to the Recognise, Engage, Act, Call, Help is on its way (REACH) program
e. The adequacy of any other systems, processes and governance arrangements in place at Northern Beaches Hospital aimed at preventing Review Incidents
f. Clinical staffing at Northern Beaches Hospital including the adequacy, skill mix and capability of staffing levels, and their alignment to relevant staffing and capability standards.
3. That the Committee consider the extent to which relevant findings and recommendations of the 2019 Parliamentary inquiry into the operation and management of the Northern Beaches Hospital have been implemented, having regard to the Government response to that inquiry.
4. That the Committee take into account relevant findings and recommendations that may be released by the ongoing:
a. Special Commission of Inquiry into Healthcare Funding
b. Northern Beaches Hospital audit by the Auditor-General for NSW
5. That the Committee have regard to, and conduct its inquiry in a manner that does not prejudice:
a. any inquest undertaken by the State Coroner in relation to the death of Master Joe Massa at Northern Beaches Hospital in September 2024
b. any internal investigation into the death of Master Joe Massa at Northern Beaches Hospital in September 2024
6. That the Committee have regard to any other related matter.
Members of the Committee conducting the Inquiry are:
Chair: Li, Jason (ALP, LA Member)
Deputy Chair: Barr, Clayton (ALP, LA Member)
Members:
Leong, Jenny (GRNS, LA Member)
Regan, Michael (IND, LA Member)
Roberts, Anthony (LIB, LA Member)
Saliba, David (ALP, LA Member)
For more information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference and information on making a submission, see the Committee's webpage.
Please note that the submissions period for this inquiry has not yet opened, the Committee will be inviting submissions shortly.