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Audit Exposes Northern Beaches Hospital Failings and PPP Risks

A scathing report by the NSW Auditor-General highlights safety lapses, systemic issues, and tensions between profit motives and patient care, prompting the government to consider public control.

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Overview

  • The NSW Auditor-General’s report finds Northern Beaches Hospital is failing to deliver safe and integrated healthcare under its public-private partnership with Healthscope.
  • The audit identifies systemic safety concerns, including elevated rates of hospital-acquired complications and insufficient action on clinical risks.
  • Healthscope, contracted to operate the hospital until 2038, has expressed willingness to return it to public hands amidst financial struggles and government scrutiny.
  • The deaths of toddler Joe Massa in 2024 and newborn Harper Atkinson in 2025 spotlight operational shortcomings, such as delayed emergency care and limited weekend surgical availability.
  • Premier Chris Minns has banned future public-private hospital partnerships and is weighing a public takeover of the facility to restore confidence in healthcare delivery.