Cootamundra residents gave their feedback to Murrumbidgee Local Health District regarding the future of the health service. Photo: Mattinbgn
Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) has thanked Cootamundra local government area residents for their valuable input regarding the future of health services planning for the community.
Residents were invited to have their say through a survey or by attending one of five community consultation sessions held by MLHD and provided their insights on patient experiences of accessing healthcare, the type of health services they would desire and their healthcare needs.
MLHD received 866 survey responses, representing a broad cross-section of the community.
MLHD service planning manager Jacqueline van der Neut said the health district was pleased to have so many people from the community participate in the survey.
“We are so pleased to have had so many people from the local community get involved, including young people, and people from Aboriginal and other cultural backgrounds, so we capture a variety of views and needs within the local area,” Ms van der Neut said.
Aside from the residents, MLHD engaged with local healthcare stakeholders, including Cootamundra Health Service staff, social and aged care service providers, medical centres and other health organisations.
Ms van der Neut said MLHD’s local Partnership Reference Committee had been providing input throughout the planning process.
The Partnership Reference Committee includes various stakeholders from the Local Health Advisory Committee, community representatives, local council and local service providers, GPs, NSW Ambulance, and the Primary Health Network.
MLHD Chief Executive Jill Ludford said a crucial part of developing a Health Service Plan was having consultations with community members and responding to their needs and concerns.
“A Health Service Plan outlines the health services required to reflect the community’s health needs into the future and makes recommendations about the best way to deliver these services,” Ms Ludford said.
“Communities play a critical role in the process of developing a Health Service Plan and we are delighted to see so many people getting involved. We thank everyone who took the time to fill out a survey or attend a consultation session.”
MLHD is in the process of collating the responses and will produce a draft plan. The draft plan is set to take a couple of months to finalise.
The health district will place its draft plan on display for a month and will invite the community to provide vital feedback.
The Health Service Plan project team will assess the feedback and include it in the final plan where feasible.
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