The first face-to-face meeting of the new Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel marked what could hopefully be a shift in the landscape of rural health, with the panel born out of this year’s scathing inquiry into that state of healthcare across regional NSW. 

The 15-member panel met last week with Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor acting as host. 

According to Mrs Taylor, the future of regional health care and improved access to services were top of the agenda. 

Despite the seemingly quite broad scope, the first meeting was celebrated as a great start. 

“It was very exciting to meet with a group of people from all walks of life who share a common goal - delivering the best possible health care for their communities,” Mrs Taylor said. 

“We discussed the challenges that exist in our health system and shared and explored ideas on how we can address these challenges and better support the health care needs of our rural and regional communities,” she said. 

With each of the 15 panel members appointed for up to three years, the criteria for panel members included the ‘capacity to represent the interest of regional consumers of health services’.

Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor.

Chief Executive Officer of NSW Rural Doctors Network and Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel Chair Richard Colbran said the panel gives regional communities a direct say in shaping the future of their health care services.

“I’m confident with the experience and expertise on this panel we’ll be able to work collaboratively with Minister Taylor and NSW Health to help solve some of the health challenges faced by our regional and rural communities,” Mr Colbran said. 

Mr Colbran said the panel is a healthy mix of diverse skills. 

“Not just in health as well. A lot of people who think about what it looks like in communities and are patients and supporters of health, not just those as clinicians,” he said. 

Richard Colbran, from the Rural Doctors Association after the first panel meeting.

With the aim to improve health services in regional NSW, the panel was designed to strengthen community engagement with ‘co-design’ principles at the centre of development of better services. 

Part of this task will be addressing and implementing the recommendations from the recent inquiry, with the NSW Government supporting or supporting in principle 41 of the 44 recommendations. 

Members of the panel include Parkes mayor Ken Keith, Cooma based nurse Jo Caldwell and Dubbo-based clinical director of Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Warren Kealy-Bateman.