Month: August 2023

Around 10,000 older patients will have access to more tailored and timely healthcare in the comfort of their own home, to relieve pressure on hospitals and avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency department (ED).

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Health Ryan Park will today announce the introduction of a new urgent care response team in south west Sydney, and the expansion of existing urgent care response teams in the city’s south east and north.

The 3 urgent care response teams will see patients treated in their own homes or aged care facilities at no cost.

These teams offer specialist and multidisciplinary medical and nursing services, as well as access to a broad range of allied health services including social workers, physiotherapists, pharmacists and dietitians and occupational therapists.

The urgent care response teams are being delivered as part of the NSW Government’s $124 million program to deliver 25 urgent care services over the next 2 years and will see an additional 36 healthcare staff working across the south west, south east and northern Sydney local health districts.

All 3 urgent care response teams will increase their operating hours to 7 days a week; 8am to 10pm for patients in aged care facilities, and 8am to 8pm for patients in the community.

The Minns Labor Government is determined to rebuild our health system after 12 years of neglect.

In May, the Health Minister announced the expansion of the InTouch Urgent Care service, which provides care to residential aged care patients in the Western Sydney LHD.

And in April, the NSW Government expanded a similar service for younger patients, based at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network VirtualKIDS urgent care service. 

Patients can be referred to the response teams through a variety of channels, including GPs, residential aged care facilities or by phoning Healthdirect on 1800 022 222launch, or by visiting healthdirect.gov.aulaunch

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“We have inherited an overwhelmed health system.

“Nowhere is that clearer than in emergency departments.

“We need to relieve some of that pressure. That is why we are embracing measures like urgent care teams.

“Today’s announcement forms just part of how we are working to rebuild our health system and improve wait times.”

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“We will treat more patients, deliver more staff and offer more hours through our expansion of these urgent care response teams across Sydney.

“The expansion of these services will make it easier for older people to access high-quality urgent care at the right time, from the comfort of their home environment.

“At the same time, we can alleviate the pressure on our local hospitals by reducing unnecessary presentations to our emergency departments.”

Applications for the 2023 Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residence open today, offering a contemporary veteran or group the opportunity to engage with the Anzac Memorial and the broader community through art.

Minister for Veterans David Harris said it’s only the second time the program had been offered and provides veterans with an opportunity to share their lived experiences through art with the wider community.

“The Anzac Memorial is a physical expression of the spirit and legend of the Anzac. A place for the veteran community to come together and reflect on service and sacrifice, and to share their knowledge and experience with us.

“The Veteran Artist in Residence creates opportunities for experienced emerging contemporary service personnel and veteran artists to engage with the Anzac Memorial, its architecture, history and collection in pursuit of their artistic dreams.”

The program recognises the skills associated with artistic practices such as collaboration, self-discipline, innovation and creative thinking, as well as the positive impact on health and wellbeing and connectivity. It allows a veteran artist, through their chosen medium, to share their experiences and stories with the community, and supports the Memorial’s intent as an active space for veterans and their families. The program won the Innovation and Resilience Award at Museum and Galleries NSW’s IMAGinE Awards 2022.

The inaugural Veteran Artist in Residence, Cory Rinaldi, is an Army veteran of Malaysia, East Timor and Iraq. During his residency, he painted a series of works exploring the Memorial’s architecture and his experience of military service. His residency culminated in an exhibition of 18 paintings.

“The residency at the Memorial enabled me to heal. It gave me purpose again and once more made me feel part of a team since leaving the military,” Mr Rinaldi said.

“It also challenged my artistic parameters and encouraged me to paint outside of my comfort zone. For someone who suffers from PTSD, that’s a big deal.”

A grant of $5000 is attached to the residency to assist a guest veteran artist (or group) to develop their work.

For more information, visit the Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residencelaunch website.

With reports today that the Minns Labor Government are going back to the drawing board on their signature planning policy, Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Scott Farlow, has called on the Government to get their policies right before announcing them if they are to have any hope of delivering 314,000 homes over the next five years.

“This is another embarrassing policy failure from a Government that is more interested in headlines, one-liners and social media tiles than getting policy right,” Mr Farlow said.

“The Government claimed their policy would accelerate housing delivery, yet the real outcome of their lack of detail has been to slow supply coming to the market as industry sits on their hands waiting for the detail.”

“ Once again it would appear that there has been insufficient engagement with industry and stakeholders, Sydney’s housing issues require more than rushed Media Releases, and the Government needs to engage in good faith if they are to have any chance of delivering 314,000 homes over the next five years.”

“While the Government talks about delivering more homes, we’ve seen Development Applications drop across the board and they have introduced new taxes and costs that are acting as a further barrier to building new homes.”

“When the Government rushed this announcement, the Opposition expressed concerns that they had not engaged with industry, stakeholders or local government and the reality is that by failing to do so their signature policy is now slowing the delivery of new homes.”

“While the Premier has declared that Sydney has to ‘go up’, it is extraordinary that he has exempted the City of Sydney Council, serviced by extensive existing infrastructure, from his policy that would deliver additional height and density.”

“Councils across Sydney are scratching their heads at why the City of Sydney is exempt. The Government need to explain why they’re exempt from this policy and what criteria it was assessed against.”

“If the City of Sydney can be exempt from the Premier’s policy are there other councils that can gain exemption, and if so, what’s the process for them to do it?”

“If the Premier is serious about delivering 314,000 new homes over the next five years, it will take more than rushed media releases and social media tiles,” Mr Farlow said.

The Opposition acknowledges the actions taken by the Premier today in relation to the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, and Minister for the Hunter. 

The Government has shown a blatant disregard in Parliament to questions regarding a number of perceived conflicts of interest of other Ministers.

Given today’s revelations and referral to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Premier must now provide answers to questions asked by the Opposition regarding perceived conflicts of interest and give confidence to the people of NSW that relevant steps have been taken to manage any perceived conflicts of interest.