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.
The hospital was similarly the subject of another parliamentary inquiry in 2019, which looked at its operation and management.
See:
Residents to Protest Hospital Service Closures at Mona Vale Meeting - February 2019 includes news Brookfield acquires Healthscope
NSW Upper House to hold Inquiry into Northern Beaches Hospital - June 2019
Advocates Condemn Mona Vale Hospital Demolition Announcement as Inquiry into NBH and MVH commences - June 2019
Northern Beaches Hospital Inquiry: November 2019 Hearing
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 upcoming inquiry will focus more on the safety and quality of health services at the hospital, while also having regard to the findings of the 2019 inquiry, in particular, the extent to which findings and recommendations from that inquiry have since been implemented.
NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park stated this morning:
“We made a commitment to Elouise and Danny to undertake the necessary reviews to understand how they and their son have been let down, as well as to learn what changes need to be made to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.
“To that end, I’ve asked the NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to conduct an inquiry into the safety and quality of health services provided at Northern Beaches Hospital.
“I am grateful to the Massas for their generosity in time and spirit in working with us to honour Joe’s memory.”
Chair, NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee Jason Yat-Sen Li stated:
“I understand the strong community interest in this matter, and I am confident the committee is well placed to undertake this important inquiry.
“I am determined to get this inquiry underway as quickly as possible, but I also want to get it right.
“We will announce the opening of submissions as well as hearing dates in due course.”
Independent Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby stated on Friday, March 14 a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Northern Beaches Hospital is a vital step forward in making the hospital publicly accountable and building pressure for it to be taken back into public hands.
‘We need full transparency on what is happening at Northern Beaches Hospital. This is the main provider of hospital care for public patients in the area - paid with public money to provide the highest quality care - and we need the hospital managers Healthscope to be publicly accountable. We need to understand exactly what is going on and a Parliamentary Inquiry is a vital step in this process.
‘After the devastating deaths of a Joe Massa and a new-born baby at the hospital, that have been widely reported, the least we owe these grieving families is to ensure there is public accountability on both their individual cases and the hospital as a whole. No-one should go through what they have gone through. We need to know how these families were failed, and we need to know how the community is being failed - internal investigations that aren’t at arm’s length are insufficient,’ said Ms Scruby.
‘Since the Massa family’s tragedy was reported, there’s been an outpouring of stories - those stories need to be told. Although we’ve had an audit, submissions aren’t public. These stories need to be in the public domain.
‘We must ensure that patients on the Northern Beaches are getting the health care they deserve.
‘The public private partnership has inherent flaws and conflicts which are leading to disaster. Healthscope is reportedly facing financial challenges, which could make those risks higher. The government doesn’t have control over nursing ratios and other aspects of the public arm of the hospital. The system is stretched to breaking point. It’s just not good enough.
‘There are also questions about the financial management of the hospital, which are likely to bring into question whether the Healthscope has breached its contract.
‘The public private partnership that established the Northern Beaches Hospital is a failed Liberal experiment and we are having to live with the consequences. Now we need to fix this mess.
‘I joined fellow Northern Beaches MPs, Michael Regan from Wakehurst, and Zali Steggall, Warringah, in calling for this inquiry and Dr Sophie Scamps, Mackellar, is demanding for the hospital to return to public hands now, something I would also support.
‘It is a huge step forward that Minister Ryan Park has heard our calls and those of the devastated families and referred the inquiry to the Public Accounts Committee. This is a first, but vital step in ensuring we have high quality health care and restoring public trust in our hospital on the Northern Beaches.’' Ms Scruby said
In response to a joint letter to the Premier and Minister for Health Ryan Park from Jacqui Scruby, Michael Regan and Zali Steggall, Minister Park referred the Hospital to a Parliamentary Inquiry early on Thursday, 13 March 2025.
The inquiry will be in the hands of the Public Accounts Committee.
.JPG?timestamp=1540049172408)
