Troubled Northern Beaches Hospital to become public in major move, health secretary acknowledges ‘challenging period’ for staff

A Sydney hospital plagued by “systemic failures” has been brought back into public hands after deaths rocked the organisation.

The entire 494-bed Northern Beaches Hospital (NBH) will come under public ownership and all clinical and support staff will be offered jobs by NSW Health in the move.

The agreement between the NSW government and private operator Healthscope cost the state $190 million and the transition is expected to occur April 29 2026.

The public-private partnership at NBH was described as “one of the worst decisions of any NSW government” by the now Premier Chris Minns. Signed in 2014 by the then Coalition government and Healthscope, the partnership was due to last until 2038 but came under intense scrutiny after a toddler died while in care in September 2024.

Two-year-old Joe Massa was taken to NBH’s emergency room before he suffered a cardiac arrest and ultimately died of brain damage at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick.

Joe’s mum Elouise Massa said there “systemic failures” at the hospital that led to his death, echoing the findings of an internal investigation that included that the young boy was triaged as a less serious category of patient and that his parents requests for IV fluids were denied.

Such partnerships between the NSW government and private entities have been outlawed under “Joe’s Law”.

The hospitals staff have been welcomed to the NSW Health “family” by secretary Susan Pearce.

“I know this has been a challenging period for staff at Northern Beaches Hospital and the transition period will also not be without its challenges, but throughout it all they have continued to put their patients and community first,” she said.

The majority of staff will receive job offers over the Christmas holidays, chief executive of the North Shore Local Health District Anthony Schembri said.

Junior doctors, staff specialists and visiting medical officers will receive offers in early 2026.

“I am confident we will navigate this transition smoothly with our commitment to putting our patients and community at the centre of all that we do,” Mr Schembri said.