Gresford Community Health Centre will close on November 21 with the community health nurse to be relocated to Dungog.
The centre operates in premises leased from the Catholic Church and was initially established in the mid 1980s following community outrage at the closing of the cottage hospital in Gresford.
The centre has a group meeting room, office accommodation, waiting room and doctor’s surgery.
President of the Gresford Community Group Incorporated Martin Addison said the centre was staffed by a community health nurse and a part-time clerical assistant and a number of health services outreach from larger health centres including women’s health, sexual assault counselling, clinical psychology, social work, dietetics, child and family health, drug and alcohol and mental health nursing and counselling.
“I am frustrated and angry at the insensitive and callous way our small rural community of Gresford and Vacy is being treated by Hunter New England Health (HNEH),” Mr Addison said on behalf of the community group.
“The group wrote to Hunter New England Health and their response shows a woeful ignorance about current health services being provided to our community.
“It also shows no awareness of its own funding and service agreements with the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing let alone its own health documents.
“The group is aware, through community consultations with past and present service providers, HNEH has identified Gresford in prior submissions to the state and federal government s as a locality of need and requires extra services especially those of drug and alcohol counselling, dietetics and mental health nursing and counselling.”
Mr Addison said the response letter from HNEH shows how limited they are in the knowledge of “other suitable locations . . . for community sessions if required . . .” and of transport restrictions.
“Our small rural community only has a bowling club, one hotel, a primary school, CWA building and School of Arts,” Mr Addison said.
“None of these facilities is really suitable for one-on-one follow-up or counselling.
“It should be noted that not all outreach health services can be or should be provided in the client’s home due to occupational health and safety as well as clinical reasons and there is no public transport other than the school bus to the larger towns of Dungog and Maitland.
“The actions and response letter from HNEH also highlights their poor communications strategy.
“The community group is aware there has been no communication to the wider local community about the impending closure of the centre.”
HNEH Lower Hunter clusters general manager Yvonne Patricks said there will be no reduction of services as a result of the move.
“Community nursing services are a valuable service for the people of Gresford and will continue as normal,” Ms Patricks said.
“The community nurse will continue to visit patients in their homes, however from next month the administrative office of the community nurse will be based at Dungog Hospital.
“The office relocation means the community nurse will be conducting administrative work from a less isolated location, with improved security.
“The community nurse will be part of a team of three nurses providing home-visiting nursing service to the Gresford, Clarence Town and Dungog communities.”
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