Northern Beaches Hospital Is Not Failing, But Uncertainty Is Putting Care at Risk

Despite the headlines, Northern Beaches Hospital is not failing.

Government data shows it is one of the strongest-performing hospitals in NSW. It consistently delivers timely surgery, faster ambulance handovers, shorter hospital stays, and around 20,000 private procedures each year that help keep public waiting lists shorter and care accessible for local families.

These results matter. They reflect a hospital that is working — and working well — for the Northern Beaches community, despite what some media headlines suggest.

What Strong Hospital Performance Depends On

Hospitals don’t deliver strong outcomes by chance.

Performance depends on having the right mix of skilled clinicians, available operating theatres, coordinated specialist services and stable workforce arrangements. These elements allow care to be delivered efficiently, locally and without unnecessary delay.

At Northern Beaches Hospital, this balance is what has enabled timely surgery, shorter stays and consistent access to specialist care for the community.

When any part of that system becomes uncertain — whether it’s how services will operate, who will staff them, or how care will be delivered — the impact is felt quickly. Clinicians are unable to plan, services become harder to schedule, and access to care becomes less predictable for patients and families.

This is why clarity and continuity are essential during any transition.

Change Can Be Done Well. With a Plan

Change can be done well. But only with clarity, planning and continuity.

Right now, that clarity does not exist.

To date, the NSW Government has not confirmed:

• Which private services will remain

• How those services will operate

• Who will fund them

• Or when these details will be finalised

Without this information, clinicians cannot plan with certainty — and neither can patients.

Uncertainty Has Real Consequences

This uncertainty is not theoretical. It is already affecting staffing and service planning.

When clinicians do not know whether they will be able to continue operating at Northern Beaches Hospital, some are making difficult decisions to move surgeries to other hospitals so their patients do not face delays or cancelled care.

Patients do not disappear.
Demand does not drop.
Emergencies do not stop.

If capacity leaves before a clear and workable plan is in place, it is local access to care that is lost.

What the Community Deserves

The Northern Beaches community has the right to transparency, certainty and continuity in healthcare. Residents also have the right to expect that commitments made about their local hospital — including access to high-quality care close to home — are honoured.

This is not about public versus private care. It is about protecting access to services that work and ensuring change strengthens the system rather than weakens it.

A commitment was made.
Let’s protect it.