Northern Beaches Hospital under scrutiny: what patients need to know

Northern Beaches Hospital is not a stranger to scrutiny. Since Healthscope, a private company, took over its operation under contract to NSW Health when it opened in 2018, it has faced parliamentary inquiries, patient complaints, and persistent questions about whether the public-private model is working as it should. A 2019 parliamentary inquiry looked at its management. Concerns remained.

In 2025, three separate investigations are running simultaneously. A completed inquiry by the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) has identified specific failures and made recommendations. A NSW Parliamentary inquiry is examining the hospital’s safety and quality since opening day. And a coronial inquest is underway.

This level of concurrent scrutiny is unusual. For anyone who has received care at Northern Beaches Hospital and has questions, it matters.

Who is actually responsible for your care?

Most patients don’t realise that Northern Beaches Hospital sits in an unusual position. It looks and functions like a public hospital - Medicare-funded, publicly accessible - but is run by a private operator with its own commercial interests. When something goes wrong at a standard public hospital, the accountability chain is relatively clear. Here, it isn’t. Patients trying to raise a complaint may not know whether to approach Healthscope, NSW Health, or an external body.

That complexity is one of the things the current parliamentary inquiry is specifically examining.

What the Clinical Excellence Commission found

In early 2025, NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce ordered an independent inquiry by the Clinical Excellence Commission, NSW’s peak body for patient safety, into the hospital’s emergency department. The CEC examined clinical supervision, safety culture, and how patients and families can raise concerns during treatment.

Its report, released in June 2025, made 13 specific recommendations. Among them, the CEC found that the REACH protocol, now known as Raise It, a patient escalation system that allows people to call for help if they feel something is being missed, was insufficiently accessible in at least one serious case.

Healthscope has accepted all findings and is implementing changes. That’s an important step. It also means the hospital has formally acknowledged some things needed to change.

A pattern of concerns going back to 2018

In March 2025, Health Minister Ryan Park asked the NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to investigate the safety and quality of services at Northern Beaches Hospital. The scope runs from October 2018, opening day, through to March 2025.

This is the hospital’s second parliamentary inquiry. The 2025 inquiry will specifically examine whether the findings from the first inquiry, in 2019, were ever properly implemented. The implication is clear: some were not.

The current inquiry is examining the hospital’s governance under the public-private model, how it handles complaints and serious incidents, the adequacy of its systems to prevent adverse events, and staff standards and capabilities. It is a broad remit and it reflects a genuine accumulation of concern.

Your rights as a patient

Regardless of whether a hospital is public, private, or a hybrid, patients in NSW have the same rights under the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. These include:

• the right to safe, high-quality care appropriate to your needs
• the right to be properly assessed when your symptoms persist or worsen
• the right to raise concerns and have them taken seriously, including through escalation protocols like Raise It or Joe’s Law
• the right to access information about your condition, treatment options, and care plan

Those rights apply in a busy emergency department just as much as anywhere else.

When does poor care become medical negligence in NSW?

Most people who’ve had a bad experience in a hospital don’t immediately think about legal options. That’s understandable. But medical negligence extends beyond obvious surgical errors. In NSW, it occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet the standard of care expected of a reasonably competent professional in that position, and that failure causes harm. Common examples include:

• Delayed or missed diagnosis. A condition that should have been identified and treated was missed, leading to a worse outcome.
• Failure to act on symptoms or test results. Concerns are raised, but not appropriately followed up.
• Inadequate assessment. A patient is discharged or under-treated because they weren’t properly evaluated.
• Failure to escalate. A deteriorating patient isn’t referred to a more senior clinician when they should have been.

A formal investigation finding, like the CEC’s 13 recommendations, doesn’t automatically mean a legal claim succeeds. But findings like these can be directly relevant to understanding whether the care you received met an acceptable standard.

Time limits apply under the Limitation Act 1969. Adults generally have three years from the date they became aware of a potential claim; different rules apply for children. If you have concerns, earlier advice gives you more options.

What to do if you have concerns

• Request your medical records. You are legally entitled to these, and they’re the starting point for any independent assessment.
• Ask Healthscope for an explanation. The hospital has an obligation to respond to complaints about clinical care.
• Contact the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC). The HCCC handles independent complaints about NSW health practitioners and services. If the hospital’s response is unsatisfactory, this is your next step.
• Speak to a medical negligence lawyer. A free consultation costs nothing and gives you an independent view of whether your situation warrants further investigation.

How we can help

We have acted for clients in medical negligence claims involving hospitals across NSW, including cases where patients felt their concerns went unheard for too long. We know it’s not an easy decision to question the care you or a family member received. But sometimes those questions deserve a proper answer.

Our medical negligence lawyers offer free, confidential consultations with no obligation. We’ll give you an honest assessment of your situation, explain your options, and tell you plainly whether we think there’s a claim worth pursuing.

If you have concerns about care at Northern Beaches Hospital, contact us today.