Without a hydrotherapy pool, Kempsey locals face a long trek for rehab

If Kempsey Shire is to again offer a hydrotherapy facility, it won’t be at the hospital, where the purpose-built rehab pool sits unused. And, without the state stumping up some cash, it likely won’t be anywhere.

At last month’s meeting of Kempsey Shire Council, CEO Andrew Meddle said council will explore the feasibility of a hydrotherapy facility within one of its existing aquatic sites, but conceded the state government would need to be leant on.

Council runs pools in Kempsey, Gladstone and South West Rocks. 

The background: The hydrotherapy pool at Kempsey District Hospital opened in 1987 and was partially funded by $152,000 raised by the community.

It was closed in 2020, along with hydrotherapy pools at Port Macquarie Base Hospital and Coffs Harbour Health Campus, during Covid.

Assessments undertaken in 2022 and 2023 identified the pools had a range of structural, accessibility and safety issues, requiring “substantial capital investment” to make them compliant. 

Help from the state: Meddle said given the community had raised money to establish the Kempsey hospital pool nearly 40 years ago, “[we are] trying to leverage a bit of goodwill out of [NSW] Health to get an outcome for our community that is without a hydrotherapy service currently”.

The Mid North Coaster asked the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) if it would contribute to the cost of a new hydrotherapy facility.

That question went unanswered, however a spokesperson said the health district would “continue to work with our patients and community partners, including Kempsey Shire Council, to ensure people can access hydrotherapy pools as required”.

Chewing up the clicks: Reece Coleman, who runs P’Form Physiotherapy in Kempsey, said in the absence of a local facility he is forced to take hydrotherapy clients to Macksville. It’s a 100km roundtrip.

The MNCLHD pointed to heated public pools as an alternative, however Coleman said they do not reach the temperatures required and often do not meet accessibility requirements.

• “The clients that I take use a water wheelchair to get into the water. We don't have anything like that here. I can't just take them to Kempsey pool and do some pool work because they can't physically get it into the pool,” Coleman said. 

Make it central: Council is determining the viability of heating the South West Rocks pool for general use, following a push from the community.

However, Coleman said any future hydrotherapy facility should be kept in Kempsey due to its proximity to disability and health services.

• “All these clients that I take [to hydrotherapy] attend day programs and whatnot in Kempsey. From an NDIS point of view, for them to then go to somewhere like South West Rocks eats up their travel allowance and their travel budget.”

Where to for now: The MNCLHD says community hydrotherapy pools are available at Port Macquarie Private Hospital and Lake Cathie Medical Centre. 

Image credit: NSW Health.