NSW Health secretary Susan Pearce says a young doctor killed in Sunday's Greta bus crash was a "much-loved" member of the Calvary Mater Hospital medical team.
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Junior medical officer Rebecca Mullen was one of the 10 people who died in the accident at a roundabout on Wine Country Drive.
Dr Mullen was "an extremely active member" of the New England Nomads and "a wonderfully talented sportswoman and a friend to all who knew her".
Ms Pearce, the state's most senior health public servant, visited the Mater on Wednesday to talk to management and junior doctors who worked with Dr Mullen.
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"Obviously it's very traumatic to lose a staff member," she said at a media conference in Singleton.
"They're feeling very raw. It will take them some time to remember.
"Rebecca was a much-loved member of the family there. They're feeling as you would expect them to."
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said his department would provide the Hunter community with all the mental health services it needed to help people deal with one of the worst road accidents in Australia's history.
"What we've got to do is make sure that when the cameras go, when the lights and sirens stop, the support remains in the community," he said.
He urged people to "please speak up" if they needed emotional support.
"Don't think you have to carry this burden on your own.
"Your reaction may be be very similar to how someone else is feeling or it could be very different.
"That first conversation can be the hardest, but it's also the most important.
"This has affected everyone. It's affected me as the minister."
Mr Park visited first responders who worked at Sunday night's cold and foggy accident scene.
"This was a scene the likes that none of them had ever experienced," he said.
"Yes, they are highly trained. Yes, they are incredibly professional. Yes, they practise for these scenarios. But they are still human beings."
The minister also visited the crash scene on Wednesday morning, where people have gathered to grieve, lay flowers and pay their respects to the victims.
"It's one of the most difficult things I've done," he said.
"It's very, very tough to see a scene where so many people lost their life, that's been a national disaster."
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Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
