The NSW Government has announced a $20 million dollar package to boost paediatric services across the state, following ACM's ongoing coverage of a crisis in children's health support in regional areas.
In dozens of stories since April, ACM mastheads, including the Daily Advertiser in Wagga, the Daily Liberal in Dubbo, the Central Western Daily in Orange, the Western Advocate in Bathurst and the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth, revealed children with significant development challenges are being forced to wait up to six years to see a paediatrician in regional NSW.
The average wait time is 18 months in rural areas and in some parts of NSW, families are being told there is no local service at all.
According to data from children's charity Royal Far West, Dubbo has no appointments available for developmental or behavioural referrals.
Tamworth's wait time is up to six years, Wagga's three years, Orange's two-and-a-half years, and Coffs Harbour and Bega's around two years.
Wagga father Dan Berryman told ACM he was unable to get an appointment with a paediatrician in the public health system.
His son Charlie, now six, struggles with developmental delays and behavioural problems.
It was "critical" he was assessed before he started school otherwise the problems would be compounded, Mr Berryman said.
Wagga public hospital paediatrician Dr Theresa Pitts described the situation as a "national crisis".
"I don't think we realise the scale," she said.
"We haven't seen the full impact of it and we won't realise the scale until we see future generations because of the impact it will have on society."
"These are sliding door moments with these kids," she said.
Dr Pitts said if the issue was not tackled before school it could lead to significant problems at school and potentially lead to the child leaving school early and other societal issues.
Royal Far West had been seeking funding for a three-year pilot to expand its development assessment and treatment service based in Manly with two new rural-based paediatric assessment clinics in Wagga and Dubbo.
"There is just a lack of services in our area," he said.
The pilot would cost $4 million in 2025 and then $6 million a year by 2026.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park announced on June 13 a $20 million boost for the public paediatric allied health allied health workforce with an additional 32 staff.
Additionally, Mr Park announced $2.3 million in funding over four years to support Royal Far West (RFS), an extra $570,000 per year for four years.
"Timely access to paediatric allied health services for children with developmental vulnerabilities is shown to improve their educational, social, employment and economic outcomes later in life," said Mr Park.
"This investment is a step towards improving developmental outcomes, school participation and academic performance of children across NSW."
RFW CEO Jacqueline Emery told ACM the announcement was a step in the right direction.
"We welcome this funding, which will allow RFW to grow our impact on the lives of country children and their families by providing increased access to early intervention for more country children," Ms Emery said.
She said the money would "not allow RFW the transformational change that we were seeking to establish two rural paediatric clinics in Dubbo and Wagga" but she said she was "hopeful" the increase in funding to the public paediatric system will "enable us to transition more children back into local services so we can offer more places in our service".
Premier Chris Minns declined to answer questions on the issue when raised by ACM but he did concede during a recent trip to Orange he would consider the proposal.
