Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson meets Hunter New England Health acting boss Tracey McCosker and Susan Heyman in Tamworth

The new HNEH acting chief executive Tracey McCosker won't be drawn on what she is doing or who she is meeting in the city after declining requests by the Leader for an interview.

Ms McCosker sat down with Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson - just days out from the NSW Government going into caretake mode - in Tamworth at his electorate office.

Susan Heyman - the district's Tamworth-based Executive Director for Rural and Regional Health Services - was also present for the meeting.

Mr Anderson said the pair agreed to meet with him so he could raise the issue of a PET scanner for the North West Cancer Centre in Tamworth, an issue he has launched a campaign on.

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Mr Anderson said he also raised the issue of staffing across the electorate's hospitals and multi-purpose centres, along with the Banksia unit upgrade and Gunnedah hospital's redevelopment.

He said they also spoke about the stand-alone palliative care unit his government has already announced and agreed to fund.

A spokesperson for HNEH declined the Leader's request to interview Ms McCosker who said she was "just doing her job" in the region and would not be carrying out media.

The spokesperson said Ms McCosker was out there meeting key people in her new role, and said she would not be making comment on anything other than operational issues when the government goes into caretaker mode.

The Leader was unable to confirm if Ms Heyman and Ms McCosker met with any other state election candidates - who have previously raised the PET scanner issue - during their Tamworth catch-up.

Ms McCosker took over from former long-term chief executive Michael DiRienzo who won't return from annual leave, after announcing his resignation last month.

His exit came after his relationship with the health service's executive team became strained.

On Tuesday, Ms McCosker released a media statement in the wake of the health district's performance in the latest round of Bureau of Health Information figures.

She acknowledged the "steady" performance of HNEH in the three months to December in the wake of a record demand for high-level emergency care.

At 49.7 per cent, Tamworth hospital was below the state average of 58.4 per cent of patients leaving the emergency department (ED) within four hours.

"We thank the community for their patience and apologise to those who have waited longer than usual in the ED during this period of high activity," she said.

"We recognise more work is needed and will consider strategies to improve some of these challenges."

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