25-05-2025
Health Minister puts 'troubling' Calvary Mater maintenance mess at arm's length
A local politician is "troubled" by reports the Calvary Mater Hospital is riddled with leaks and battling a mould outbreak, but the Health Minister has already moved to distance the government from the maintenance mess.
Aspergillus mould, which is dangerous to the elderly and people with lowered immune systems, has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital, including air conditioners and a ward with immunocompromised patients.
Moisture has become such an issue at the Waratah hospital that dehumidifiers have been brought into wards, and leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said she was troubled by the reports of mould and leaks.
"To me, it is simply not OK," she said.
"I have raised this with the Minister for Health, asking that the maintenance issues be addressed. I will be seeking further answers with regard to this matter."
The Newcastle Herald asked NSW Health Minister Ryan Park if he'd spoken directly to Mater administrators about the mould, leaks and maintenance backlog.
Mr Park initially declined to answer any questions and instead directed Hunter New England Health staff to respond.
However, when pressed by the Herald a spokesperson for Mr Park made it clear Novacare, the company managing the hospital's infrastructure and facilities, was responsible for the building's upkeep.
"Maintenance of the hospital building and infrastructure is the responsibility of Novacare, under a public-private partnership with NSW Health," the spokesperson said.
The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell, which ignored the Herald's questions and has previously directed them to the state government.
In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future public-private partnerships for the state's acute hospitals, after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital.
Mr Park was also asked if it was time to reconsider the Mater's public-private partnership and bring the hospital under a fully public system.
"The Minister has made clear that he does not support public-private partnerships being imposed on any future acute hospitals in circumstances where a private provider both constructs the facility and provides acute hospital service to public patients at the facility," the spokesperson said.
Hunter New England Health (HNEH), which is responsible for patient care and clinical services within the Mater, said it was "actively working to minimise any risk" to patients following the detection of Aspergillus in a number of inpatient wards.
"As a precaution, deep cleaning has been carried out, and additional air filtration units have been installed in the affected areas while further actions are being assessed," a HNEH spokesperson said.
Earlier this week, the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association raised the alarm about the state of the hospital.
"These public-private partnerships don't work, you can't put people's lives at risk to make some money," the union's Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said.
A local politician is "troubled" by reports the Calvary Mater Hospital is riddled with leaks and battling a mould outbreak, but the Health Minister has already moved to distance the government from the maintenance mess.
Aspergillus mould, which is dangerous to the elderly and people with lowered immune systems, has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital, including air conditioners and a ward with immunocompromised patients.
Moisture has become such an issue at the Waratah hospital that dehumidifiers have been brought into wards, and leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said she was troubled by the reports of mould and leaks.
"To me, it is simply not OK," she said.
"I have raised this with the Minister for Health, asking that the maintenance issues be addressed. I will be seeking further answers with regard to this matter."
The Newcastle Herald asked NSW Health Minister Ryan Park if he'd spoken directly to Mater administrators about the mould, leaks and maintenance backlog.
Mr Park initially declined to answer any questions and instead directed Hunter New England Health staff to respond.
However, when pressed by the Herald a spokesperson for Mr Park made it clear Novacare, the company managing the hospital's infrastructure and facilities, was responsible for the building's upkeep.
"Maintenance of the hospital building and infrastructure is the responsibility of Novacare, under a public-private partnership with NSW Health," the spokesperson said.
The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell, which ignored the Herald's questions and has previously directed them to the state government.
In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future public-private partnerships for the state's acute hospitals, after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital.
Mr Park was also asked if it was time to reconsider the Mater's public-private partnership and bring the hospital under a fully public system.
"The Minister has made clear that he does not support public-private partnerships being imposed on any future acute hospitals in circumstances where a private provider both constructs the facility and provides acute hospital service to public patients at the facility," the spokesperson said.
Hunter New England Health (HNEH), which is responsible for patient care and clinical services within the Mater, said it was "actively working to minimise any risk" to patients following the detection of Aspergillus in a number of inpatient wards.
"As a precaution, deep cleaning has been carried out, and additional air filtration units have been installed in the affected areas while further actions are being assessed," a HNEH spokesperson said.
Earlier this week, the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association raised the alarm about the state of the hospital.
"These public-private partnerships don't work, you can't put people's lives at risk to make some money," the union's Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said.
A local politician is "troubled" by reports the Calvary Mater Hospital is riddled with leaks and battling a mould outbreak, but the Health Minister has already moved to distance the government from the maintenance mess.
Aspergillus mould, which is dangerous to the elderly and people with lowered immune systems, has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital, including air conditioners and a ward with immunocompromised patients.
Moisture has become such an issue at the Waratah hospital that dehumidifiers have been brought into wards, and leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said she was troubled by the reports of mould and leaks.
"To me, it is simply not OK," she said.
"I have raised this with the Minister for Health, asking that the maintenance issues be addressed. I will be seeking further answers with regard to this matter."
The Newcastle Herald asked NSW Health Minister Ryan Park if he'd spoken directly to Mater administrators about the mould, leaks and maintenance backlog.
Mr Park initially declined to answer any questions and instead directed Hunter New England Health staff to respond.
However, when pressed by the Herald a spokesperson for Mr Park made it clear Novacare, the company managing the hospital's infrastructure and facilities, was responsible for the building's upkeep.
"Maintenance of the hospital building and infrastructure is the responsibility of Novacare, under a public-private partnership with NSW Health," the spokesperson said.
The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell, which ignored the Herald's questions and has previously directed them to the state government.
In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future public-private partnerships for the state's acute hospitals, after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital.
Mr Park was also asked if it was time to reconsider the Mater's public-private partnership and bring the hospital under a fully public system.
"The Minister has made clear that he does not support public-private partnerships being imposed on any future acute hospitals in circumstances where a private provider both constructs the facility and provides acute hospital service to public patients at the facility," the spokesperson said.
Hunter New England Health (HNEH), which is responsible for patient care and clinical services within the Mater, said it was "actively working to minimise any risk" to patients following the detection of Aspergillus in a number of inpatient wards.
"As a precaution, deep cleaning has been carried out, and additional air filtration units have been installed in the affected areas while further actions are being assessed," a HNEH spokesperson said.
Earlier this week, the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association raised the alarm about the state of the hospital.
"These public-private partnerships don't work, you can't put people's lives at risk to make some money," the union's Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said.
A local politician is "troubled" by reports the Calvary Mater Hospital is riddled with leaks and battling a mould outbreak, but the Health Minister has already moved to distance the government from the maintenance mess.
Aspergillus mould, which is dangerous to the elderly and people with lowered immune systems, has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital, including air conditioners and a ward with immunocompromised patients.
Moisture has become such an issue at the Waratah hospital that dehumidifiers have been brought into wards, and leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said she was troubled by the reports of mould and leaks.
"To me, it is simply not OK," she said.
"I have raised this with the Minister for Health, asking that the maintenance issues be addressed. I will be seeking further answers with regard to this matter."
The Newcastle Herald asked NSW Health Minister Ryan Park if he'd spoken directly to Mater administrators about the mould, leaks and maintenance backlog.
Mr Park initially declined to answer any questions and instead directed Hunter New England Health staff to respond.
However, when pressed by the Herald a spokesperson for Mr Park made it clear Novacare, the company managing the hospital's infrastructure and facilities, was responsible for the building's upkeep.
"Maintenance of the hospital building and infrastructure is the responsibility of Novacare, under a public-private partnership with NSW Health," the spokesperson said.
The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell, which ignored the Herald's questions and has previously directed them to the state government.
In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future public-private partnerships for the state's acute hospitals, after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital.
Mr Park was also asked if it was time to reconsider the Mater's public-private partnership and bring the hospital under a fully public system.
"The Minister has made clear that he does not support public-private partnerships being imposed on any future acute hospitals in circumstances where a private provider both constructs the facility and provides acute hospital service to public patients at the facility," the spokesperson said.
Hunter New England Health (HNEH), which is responsible for patient care and clinical services within the Mater, said it was "actively working to minimise any risk" to patients following the detection of Aspergillus in a number of inpatient wards.
"As a precaution, deep cleaning has been carried out, and additional air filtration units have been installed in the affected areas while further actions are being assessed," a HNEH spokesperson said.
Earlier this week, the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association raised the alarm about the state of the hospital.
"These public-private partnerships don't work, you can't put people's lives at risk to make some money," the union's Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said.
