With pressure mounting on the state government to find a solution for Peel’s health funding woes, the City of Mandurah has weighed into the debate, offering to undertake a “consultation process”.
Mandurah mayor Rhys Willams met WA Health Minister Roger Cook in February, to raise their concerns over resourcing at the Peel Health Campus.
Mr Williams and his fellow councillors are now awaiting subsequent comment from government, but are already gearing-up to take action regardless of their response.
Mr Williams labelled the meeting as “positive” and said it was clear the minister saw the expansion of the Peel Health Campus as a priority.
“He’s [the minister] writing to us with some detail on the process from here. We’ve asked him to be quite specific in that,” Mr Williams said.
Mr Williams said local government understood budget constraints but maintained the community “desperately” required an expansion of the facility.
“It’s really important that we begin this process now,” he said.
“With four years left on the Ramsay contract, if we don’t start these negotiations now then we don’t get the outcome that we’re looking for,” Mr Williams said.
Ramsay Health Care Limited owns the assets of Peel Health Campus, which was previously held by Health Solutions WA.
“In the discussions with the minister, his commitment was that the expansion of Peel Health Campus would be a key recommendation of the Sustainable Health Review,” he said.
“With that commitment in mind my council’s job is to continue to apply that pressure.”
He said the City of Mandurah intended to hold a series of “community engagement opportunities” such as forums aimed at collating locals’ thoughts on the topic and to keep people up-to-date with plans for the facility’s future.
Mr Williams said that process was likely to start following the subsequent comment from the state government.
He said the City of Mandurah was in the best place to be the go-between for communication between community and state government, as it was “apolitical”.