MANLY DAILY 1 NOVEMBER 2014
Land Designated To Be Used For Medicine
HAS anyone ever delved into the original deeds for the land for Mona Vale Hospital?
The information I have, which is probably many times removed, is that the land was a gift to the government with the strict instructions that a medical facility had to be built and that the surrounding land and buildings were never to be sold.
The original deeds are supposedly in the archives and the government knows it can't do anything with the site other than leave it as is, as long as the buildings house medical facilities.
CHERYL RAE, Dee Why
The information I have, which is probably many times removed, is that the land was a gift to the government with the strict instructions that a medical facility had to be built and that the surrounding land and buildings were never to be sold.
The original deeds are supposedly in the archives and the government knows it can't do anything with the site other than leave it as is, as long as the buildings house medical facilities.
CHERYL RAE, Dee Why
MANLY DAILY 5 NOVEMBER 2014 - ALEX McTAGGART
Hospital Will Remain in Good Health, Thanks to Community
IN REPLY to Cheryl Rae, I have copies of the notice to acquire land for the purpose of building Mona Vale Hospital (Your say, November 1).
The land was purchased by the then Department of Public Works and is owned in fee simple by the State Government with no stipulations as to its use or requirement to remain in public hands.
In 1999-2000 the chief executive of Northern Sydney Area Health, Dr Stephen Christley, proposed to close Mona Vale and Manly hospitals, sell the land and build a new facility at Frenchs Forest.
Manly Council did not have a position on the matter but Warringah Council supported and promoted the proposal that Mona Vale will remain a viable health precinct is due to the overwhelming Pittwater community opposition to its closure, strongly supported by Pittwater Council under the leadership of the then mayor, Patricia Giles.
ALEX MCTAGGART, Pittwater Councillor
MANLY DAILY 20 JANUARY 2018
A Hospital Case
IT was good of Mark Horton (your say Jan 10) (click here to view) to point out the necessary upgrade required for the Wakehurst Pkwy before the new Northern Beaches Hospital opens at the end of the year, speedy access is absolutely vital in emergency situations.
What the hospital also needs urgently is a massive investment in additional beds for the public which, at the planned level of 277, is 96 beds short of what Manly and Mona Vale Hospitals currently provide.
If starting up with 96 fewer public beds is not bad enough, what allowance has been made for the huge population surge currently taking place on the northern beaches: none as far as I can see.
The simple and cheaper option to resolve both these problems is to keep Mona Vale Hospital open and upgrade the general section of the hospital. It's only 53 year old and, compared to some of the old ones operating very efficiently in the UK, it's relatively new.
Frank Adshead, Mona Vale
MANLY DAILY 13 JUNE 2018
Revival of Pittwater Just a Distraction
I HAVE been lobbying Pittwater MP Rob Stokes for a number of years now because I believe the NSW Government has failed the people of the northern beaches by establishing a new, privately-owned and operated, for-profit hospital on the edge of the region closer to the Royal North Shore and Hornsby hospitals than to Palm Beach.
I have read about how good the new hospital is but nothing is being done to provide safe road access from the north along the Wakehurst Parkway.
What is attracting attention, though, is a group of mainly older "Pittwaterians" who are hellbent on the resurrection of a Pittwater council that I, for one, never wanted.
They are distracting us from important issues such as the loss of surgical and emergency from Mona Vale Hospital.
I know that some will be angry about my comment but then I have other priorities such as my own health and safety and that of my family, friends and the community.
I would like to have seen Mona Vale Hospital retained as a fully fledged Schedule Four hospital, even if only complementary to the Northern Beaches Hospital; the Mona Vale Rd upgrade completed, the Wakehurst Parkway made safe through upgrading and a decent east-west transport link along Warringah and Mona Vale roads to get cars off the road.
These are far more important priorities than bringing back a Pittwater council.
Mark Horton. Mona Vale
I have read about how good the new hospital is but nothing is being done to provide safe road access from the north along the Wakehurst Parkway.
What is attracting attention, though, is a group of mainly older "Pittwaterians" who are hellbent on the resurrection of a Pittwater council that I, for one, never wanted.
They are distracting us from important issues such as the loss of surgical and emergency from Mona Vale Hospital.
I know that some will be angry about my comment but then I have other priorities such as my own health and safety and that of my family, friends and the community.
I would like to have seen Mona Vale Hospital retained as a fully fledged Schedule Four hospital, even if only complementary to the Northern Beaches Hospital; the Mona Vale Rd upgrade completed, the Wakehurst Parkway made safe through upgrading and a decent east-west transport link along Warringah and Mona Vale roads to get cars off the road.
These are far more important priorities than bringing back a Pittwater council.
Mark Horton. Mona Vale
MANLY DAILY 13 JUNE 2018
Pittwater Pitfalls
WHILE agreeing with Mark Horton (Your say Jun 13) on the importance of keeping Mona Vale Hospital, he is a bit harsh on the "oldies" wanting Pittwater back.
It is the lack of democratic process regarding council amalgamations that remains an open sore.
Eighty nine per cent of Pittwater residents surveyed by council preferred to remain a smaller council but Pittwater's Mayor and General Manager thought otherwise.
They have since both moved on.
The focus should now be on the third person involved in the Pittwater sell out, our local MP Rob Stokes, who is also central to the impending closures at Mona Vale Hospital.
Will he also be moving on, or will he stay to face the next election?
Phil Walker, Warriewood
It is the lack of democratic process regarding council amalgamations that remains an open sore.
Eighty nine per cent of Pittwater residents surveyed by council preferred to remain a smaller council but Pittwater's Mayor and General Manager thought otherwise.
They have since both moved on.
The focus should now be on the third person involved in the Pittwater sell out, our local MP Rob Stokes, who is also central to the impending closures at Mona Vale Hospital.
Will he also be moving on, or will he stay to face the next election?
Phil Walker, Warriewood
RESIDENT EMAIL TO GOVERNMENT 25 JULY 2018
25 July, 2018.d
Dear Ms. Berejiklian, Mr. Hazzard and Mr. Stokes.
I am writing to inform you that the deliberate running down of Mona Vale hospital and planned withdrawal of emergency services from the Pittwater area is not acceptable to a majority of the Pittwater population.
We do not accept that a geriatric and rehabilitation centre is a reasonable replacement for our hospital.
For you to call your proposed Urgent Care facility for coughs, sprains and rashes a ‘hospital’, as you have been, is not only unacceptable, it is fraudulent.
Cute semantics revolving around the term ‘hospital campus’ likewise.
Moreover, you are doing this while rapidly boosting Pittwater’s population. With respect, are all three of you mad? Or unthinking? Or blinkered by ideology? Or is it that you simply don’t care about us? All of these presumably.
We in Pittwater want Mona Vale retained as a minimum basic level 3 public hospital with full inpatient services, including Level 3 or better ICU and 24 hour A&E with operating table, and maternity services.
If you Ms. Berejiklian and Mr. Hazzard, have relied on Mr. Stokes for knowledge about how Pittwater people feel on this issue, then you have been badly misled, just as we were misled by him on the matter of forced Council amalgamation. We didn’t want it and he assured us we would not have it.
If you close our hospital and withdraw its services then it will be clear to Pittwater people that loss of local representation i.e. Pittwater Council, equates directly with loss of hospital services. Pittwater people will perceive that, more likely than not, the pattern will prevail in other, future matters of local importance.
This is, of course, fertile ground to galvanise a movement.
Demolition of the hospital building will guarantee it.
Faithfully,
John Illingsworth, Bayview
Lyn Illingsworth, Bayview,
Jo Illingsworth, Bayview
Dear Ms. Berejiklian, Mr. Hazzard and Mr. Stokes.
I am writing to inform you that the deliberate running down of Mona Vale hospital and planned withdrawal of emergency services from the Pittwater area is not acceptable to a majority of the Pittwater population.
We do not accept that a geriatric and rehabilitation centre is a reasonable replacement for our hospital.
For you to call your proposed Urgent Care facility for coughs, sprains and rashes a ‘hospital’, as you have been, is not only unacceptable, it is fraudulent.
Cute semantics revolving around the term ‘hospital campus’ likewise.
Moreover, you are doing this while rapidly boosting Pittwater’s population. With respect, are all three of you mad? Or unthinking? Or blinkered by ideology? Or is it that you simply don’t care about us? All of these presumably.
We in Pittwater want Mona Vale retained as a minimum basic level 3 public hospital with full inpatient services, including Level 3 or better ICU and 24 hour A&E with operating table, and maternity services.
If you Ms. Berejiklian and Mr. Hazzard, have relied on Mr. Stokes for knowledge about how Pittwater people feel on this issue, then you have been badly misled, just as we were misled by him on the matter of forced Council amalgamation. We didn’t want it and he assured us we would not have it.
If you close our hospital and withdraw its services then it will be clear to Pittwater people that loss of local representation i.e. Pittwater Council, equates directly with loss of hospital services. Pittwater people will perceive that, more likely than not, the pattern will prevail in other, future matters of local importance.
This is, of course, fertile ground to galvanise a movement.
Demolition of the hospital building will guarantee it.
Faithfully,
John Illingsworth, Bayview
Lyn Illingsworth, Bayview,
Jo Illingsworth, Bayview