ALBURY hospital’s hydrotherapy pool repair job is competing for funding with replacement beds and medical equipment such as a new anaesthetic machine.
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Albury Wodonga Health chief executive Leigh McJames has written to various stakeholders in recent days apologising for the “abrupt nature” of the pool closure and lack of communication about the decision.
In a face-to-face interview with The Border Mail, Mr McJames said the pool would re-open, but it was one of a number of competing priorities for the cross-border health service presently.
“We always have to go through a process of saying this is how much money we've got and match the available funding against the clinical priorities,” he said.
“It is always going to be focused on saving lives.
“Our priority of service delivery is at the sharp or acute end. It is the emergency department and saving lives.
“Some things have to wait their turn.”
Mr McJames couldn’t pinpoint a date of when the pool would re-open with the repair job being scoped and costed by engineers presently.
It has been estimated to cost around $100,000 to fix.
He said a replacement hydrotherapy pool would be built at Wodonga hospital in the next two to three years, but funding had not been sourced.
Interim arrangements had been found including Murray Valley Private Hospital in Wodonga making available its pool and discussions have also been held with Albury Council about other solutions.
“I understand the frustration of the community groups and I am really sympathetic,” Mr McJames said.
I understand the frustration of the community groups and I am really sympathetic
- AWH CEO Leigh McJames
“For a large number of these people there are alternatives.
“We’ve allowed community groups to use it, but its primary purpose is for physiotherapy support for our patients.”
A review carried out soon after the pool had initially closed before being shut indefinitely also raised concerns with a lack of appropriate pool supervision out of hours by the health service.
The hydrotherapy pool was built as part of the hospital construction in the early 1990s and shut in 2007 for re-tiling works and replacement filtration system.
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