Mr PETER BESSELING (Port Macquarie) [1.58 p.m.]: According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing 2006 and an electoral profile using the same data, the Port Macquarie electorate has the State's highest percentage of people over 65 years; at 23.75 per cent it represents nearly one-quarter of the electorate's total population. This reality creates numerous opportunities for our community to lead the rest of the State in examples of active, healthy ageing, and the large number of volunteers and not-for-profit community groups in our area is testament to that. The experience, knowledge and energy within our community create a great deal of pride; they are valuable resources that cannot be underestimated. Apart from community groups, there are other areas in which people over the age of 65 have a significant presence.

There is none more important and more evident than in the demand for essential health services. According to the Department of Health and Ageing "Expenditure on Health Needs", people aged 65 years and over account for 24 per cent of medical services, 31 per cent of pharmaceutical services and 35 per cent of acute hospital services. It is therefore imperative that the health needs of the Port Macquarie electorate are viewed in light of these statistics. I welcome the consultations currently taking place on the services and infrastructure for the Port Macquarie Base Hospital expansion, which will be put forward to the Health and Hospitals Fund. Many in our community consider this a unique opportunity to address some of the constraints that have been placed on providing high levels of care at the hospital, but equally an opportunity to look at providing services that are very much in demand now and likely to be in even greater demand when the fourth pod is finally delivered. Two such services, cardiac catheterisation and mental health, are of concern to local clinicians and the health interests of the wider community, as the demand for these services is both immediate and growing.

Cardiovascular disease is the single largest killer of men and women in the developed world. Various research papers have shown that the statistical probability that a person will die from heart disease increases with advancing age. In fact, 55 per cent of all heart attacks occur after 65 years of age, and 85 per cent of all fatal heart attacks occur after 65 years of age; that is to say four in every five deaths due to heart disease occur in people older than 65. There is one interesting dynamic relating to the differences between men and women. Prior to age 55, fewer women have heart attacks than men but by the time they reach 65 they are equally likely to have a heart attack and more likely to die from it within a few weeks. This statistic is of great concern for the electorate of Port Macquarie given the lack of a cardiac catheterisation facility at Port Macquarie Base Hospital. It is not only age that impacts on the incidence of heart disease in our area, but also location. A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra, shows that rates of death and hospitalisation from cardiovascular disease are highest outside major cities and people who live in an inner or outer regional area are 11 per cent more likely to have heart disease than those who live in the city.

Port Macquarie Base Hospital remains the largest regional centre in New South Wales without a cardiac catheterisation laboratory. This service has been the subject of a concerted push for many years and I am pleased to announce that the North Coast Area Health Service has recently declared its full support for a lab to be located in Port Macquarie, a decision based on clinical need and the best use of public money. The only barrier that remains is the NSW Health Department, and I repeat my statement to the House in May this year concerning a local cardiac catheterisation lab service—the economic, clinical and social arguments demand it.

With regard to mental health services at the hospital, there remains an unmet need for infrastructure to deal with the current demand on the existing 12-bed facility. Mental health workers and advocates within our community are very active and recently launched the Hastings Mental Health Resources Directory 2010-11, which contains vital information for mental health sufferers, their carers and their families. Other services available include Centacare, Hastings Macleay GP Network, Lifeline, Mission Australia, Mental Health Support Group, New Horizons, North Coast Institute of TAFE, Port Macquarie Mental Health Services, and private psychologists. However, Port Macquarie Base Hospital remains a key focus for consumers and support networks.

Based on the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, likely more than 7,600 people in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area would benefit every year from some sort of intervention for a diagnosable mental health disorder. Cardiac disease and mental health issues must be given adequate support services and these must be addressed within the scope of the current expansion plans for Port Macquarie Base Hospital. 

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