The NSW regional health service has plans for a doctor on duty full time in the emergency department, and a consistently staffed GP clinic in early 2017.

Inverell mayor Paul Harmon and Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall met with HNEH chief executive Michael diRienzo and executive director of rural and regional health Susan Heyward on Friday morning in Tamworth, with petitions in hand.

Cr Harmon felt the community’s response to the doctor deficit sent a message to what began as a self-described robust discussion on both sides.

“It showed the importance of what we thought the issues were, that we actually travelled to Tamworth to meet with them, our community is getting a service that we don’t think it acceptable,” Cr Harmon said. 

“I believe that my role it to advocate for all the citizens of Inverell and Inverell Shire. We need to make sure that we have good-quality health services in our area.”

Mr Marshall said the executive team acknowledged the Inverell service had shortfalls. 

“Hunter New England Health said they sort of dropped the ball, they realised, acknowledged the fact, that that they had to do a lot of work to restore confidence in their health services, particularly in Inverell,” he said.

“They admitted there were some problems, definitely with the current model of servicing the hospital, and acknowledged that the concerns that we were raising were valid, and took that on board and gave an undertaking to address those promptly.”

Restoration is due to come in an imminent announcement in the dawn of 2017, with an assurance for a 24-hour doctor on call at Inverell’s emergency department, and a physician on staff from 9am-6pm at the hospital’s GP clinic weekdays.

“And they won’t be the same person,” Mr Marshall said.

He said a tender had been put out for a new model of provision of medical officers, a mixture of local and visiting doctors at the hospital, and the successful applicant would be announced within weeks. 

Mr Marshall was optimistic about the meeting outcome he felt offered more than a band-aid on a valid concern. 

“They certainly were making the right noises today, and this step, I would view, as a very positive move,” he said.

“We’ve just got to monitor it and see how it goes, and hopefully it has the desired effect, because what’s important here - no matter who you are in the community, if you present yourself in the emergency department at Inverell Hospital, you have a right, and indeed an entitlement to expect a doctor to be able to see you.”