The New South Wales government will not conduct an independent review to examine what has been described as a "culture of fear" within the rural healthcare system.
Regional Health Minister Bronnie Taylor has been giving evidence at a budget estimates hearing days after releasing the government's response to a parliamentary inquiry.
One of the 44 recommendations called for the establishment of an independent office of the health ombudsman to review complaints and alleged cover-ups.
The government has noted the recommendation because it says the avenues for lodging concerns already exist with the Health Care Complaints Commission and Health Administration Ombudsman.
"What will we do going forward is make sure that people are really aware of that, how we can assist that process and what can be done," Ms Taylor said.
The recommendation stemmed from evidence given by clinicians and patients about fears of retribution or bullying if they raised concerns about treatment, delivery of care or access to information.
"Some of those complaints and reports haven't been brought to either of those bodies and that's what needs to happen," Ms Taylor said.
"It cannot be any more decisive than the Minister for Regional Health and the Secretary of Health saying to people that we absolutely expect that they should be able to speak freely and openly."
One of the recommendations specifically called for an independent review of the culture within local health districts.
"Will you commit to looking at having an independent review into the culture of cover-ups and alleged bullying and other things that are happening within your LHDs?" Greens MP Cate Faehrmann asked the Minister.
"Will you commit to doing that today because so many people have blown the whistle that that is actually the case?"
Ms Taylor told the hearing that she had supported that recommendation in principle.
She said she had already asked the newly appointed coordinator-general of the Division of Regional Health to review local advisory councils to ensure they have diverse representation.
Staffing struggles
Claims of unsafe staffing at Yass Hospital in regional NSW were also raised during the budget estimates hearing.
A letter to the Premier and Health Minister warned that the "community is at a grave risk of serious harm due to the lack of staffing at the hospital".
"The current staffing crisis at Yass Hospital means there have been periods of time where no appropriately trained clinical staff are present at the hospital to provide any form of emergency service,'" the letter from health staff said.
But Ms Taylor said she did not agree that conditions at Yass Hospital had been unsafe.
"I judge things on health outcomes and on those situations that you're mentioning there were no adverse health outcomes that occurred."
Representatives from NSW Health gave evidence about the impact COVID-19 and other illnesses have had on staffing numbers in the past six months.
"We've probably seen the most challenging period for our staff in the last six months since the whole pandemic began, and we've also seen an elevation in the amount of overtime that we needed to ask our staff to work," Phil Minns said.
The hearing was told the worst day was in January 2022 when more than 16,000 staff were on leave.
