The NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee will conduct an inquiry into the safety and quality of health services provided by Northern Beaches Hospital, it was announced today 14 March, 2025.
Health Minister Ryan 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.
NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said he had promised Northern Beaches residents Elouise and Danny Massa, who lost their toddler following questionable care at the hospital, to undertake all “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.
It will also examine the adequacy of systems and processes designed to prevent adverse events, as well as the staff standards and capabilities.
Asked at a press conference this afternoon if the hospital, currently operated by the financially-troubled Healthscope, would be put into public hands Mr Park replied: “We’ve made it clear to the Massa family and the people of the Northern Beaches through their MPs that we haven’t landed there yet, but no doubt this inquiry will have that as a part of a discussion and a part of a debate that is well and truly, I think, expected from the people of the Northern Beaches.”
Joe’s mother, Elouise, welcomed the news about the inquiry.
“Danny and I welcome the announcement today by the Health Minister launching a parliamentary inquiry into Healthscope and the Northern Beaches Hospital,” she said this morning.
“This is good to see and we are pleased with the action taken by the government. Now’s the time to get going and we’ll look forward to participating in this process.
“We expect to see the full and unfettered participation from Healthscope during this inquiry to uncover the major problems at the hospital.
“This is not only for Joe but for the many dozens of local community members who have reached out to me personally with their own distressing experiences from their time at the Northern Beaches Hospital.
“That means all information relating to the tragic and avoidable circumstances surrounding Joe’s death is accessible and openly presented to the Committee during this inquiry. We are calling on transparency and truth telling during this process.
“This is not only for Joe but for the many dozens of local community members who have reached out to me personally with their own distressing experiences from their time at the Northern Beaches Hospital.
“This parliamentary inquiry will provide an opportunity to get the answers we all deserve about the repeated and unmitigated failings by Healthscope in the operations of the Northern Beaches Hospital.
“We need to make sure the community is confident they can enter the emergency department knowing they not only have adequate but excellent health care. The Northern Beaches community currently don’t trust that they can attend their local emergency department on their toughest day and receive the care and treatment they need. That needs to change.
“I would like to see this inquiry move to ensuring the emergency department at Northern Beaches is accredited for not only general emergency medicine but also has permanent pediatric emergency position from at least 7am until midnight and on call after hours which would bring them in alignment with RNSH and other major hospitals that see such a high volume of children.”
This is inquiry number two
The hospital was similarly the subject of another parliamentary inquiry in 2019, which looked at its operation and management.
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
An audit is already underway into its general performance.
Chair, NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee Jason Yat-Sen Li said he will announce the opening of submissions as well as hearing dates in due course.
