More paediatric services are on the way to the bush after Royal Far West (RFW) confirmed its expansion into Dubbo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
RFW will expand services to Dubbo as part of a new agreement with the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) after additional funding for the specialist child development service was confirmed in the 2024-25 state budget.
RFW has signed an agreement with the WNSWLHD to provide additional paediatric support for children with complex developmental concerns who cannot access these services locally, both at Dubbo Hospital and in the community.
The expansion out west comes on the back of a push from this masthead for more paediatric services in regional NSW.
ACM's Kids Health Crisis campaign highlighted the dire situation families west of the Blue Mountains face when attempting to get their kids in front of a doctor.
As revealed in the campaign, general practitioners have left hospitals and haven't been replaced, exacerbating an already impossible situation for regional families.
Some paediatric services in Dubbo have no appointments for developmental or behavioural referrals.
Tamworth has a wait time of up to six years, Wagga at three years, Orange two-and-a-half years and Coffs Harbour and Bega around two years.
Delight at expansion breakthrough
RFW is a specialist child development service providing vital support to improve the health and wellbeing of country children.
Currently, it operates one assessment centre at Manly on Sydney's northern beaches. But more than 60 per cent of families it helps with are coming from the Western and Murrumbidgee health districts.
CEO of Royal Far West, Jacqueline Emery said the Dubbo expansion will enable the service to provide more early intervention closer to home for these families.
"We are delighted with this development as it underscores our ongoing commitment to the health and wellbeing of country children, and particularly in western NSW where there is a great need," she said.
She said "hopefully" the Dubbo expansion is the first step in increasing paediatric service delivery in the central west and Riverina.
What's being offered?
The increased services will include:
- Royal Far West's Chief Medical Officer and Senior Developmental Paediatrician, Dr Marcel Zimmet is dedicating one day per week to seeing children from Dubbo and supporting trainee paediatricians at Dubbo Hospital. This service began in March, 2025, and this element of the service is funded by Western LHD.
- Additionally, RFW will provide in-community services in Dubbo. In early April and June, a multi-disciplinary team - including a paediatrician, psychologist, social worker, occupational and speech therapists, as well as RFW school educators - will visit Dubbo to assess and support local families and allied health clinicians.
- Around nine families will be assessed during each week, helping address the need for specialist paediatric allied health services and reducing families' need to travel long distances for care. This element of the service is funded by the NSW Ministry of Health and Royal Far West.
Ms Emery said this was a significant expansion in western NSW for RFW after the Minns government committed $2.3m over four years in the budget.
After initially baulking at the proposal, Mr Minns committed to reviewing the RFW model after being pressed by this masthead while in Orange in May, 2024.
Ms Emery says the funding will enable RFW to continue its "vital work in collaboration with NSW Health".
"Our role as a specialist child development service is crucial in supporting the most vulnerable children in NSW," she said.
"With this expansion, we aim to bridge the gap and ensure that geographical location is not a barrier to accessing vital health services."
NSW Health Minister, Ryan Park said the "valuable work" completed by Royal Far West is vital for families in rural and remote NSW.
"Delivering high quality healthcare to young people is critically important to me as Health Minister," he said.
