Despite promises being made to local residents over three elections, no progress was ever made by the former Government.
The NSW Labor Government is getting on with the job of delivering the 300-bed hospital set to deliver much needed contemporary health care facilities for the growing North West community.
Thousands of families are moving into the North-West growth area, with the Blacktown Local Government Area (LGA) population expected to grow to almost 500,000 by 2041.
The new hospital will bring healthcare closer to communities around Rouse Hill, Tallawong, Schofields, The Ponds, North Kellyville, Riverstone and Marsden Park.
Rouse Hill Hospital is expected to include:
- an emergency and urgent care department
- in-patient beds and a day surgery unit
- short stay medical assessment services
- pathology, pharmacy, and medical imaging services
- outpatient and ambulatory care services including paediatrics, renal, maternity services and women's health
- a health hub for virtual care and hospital in the home services
- prehabilitation, rehabilitation and lifestyle medicine.
Artist’s impressions of the new Rouse Hill Hospital unveiled today show wards with views to the mountains and a multi-storey car park, all in close proximity to public transport.
The new hospital will be one of the first sites to adopt the NSW Labor Government’s full campus model which incorporates health worker accommodation and childcare services.
Planning and design is underway with community feedback being considered ahead of further consultation with health professionals and the community planned for this year.
Construction of the hospital will support an estimated 1200 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs throughout the life of the project.
The new Rouse Hill Hospital is part of the NSW Government’s $3 billion investment for new and upgraded hospitals and health services across greater western Sydney, one of the largest investments in the region’s health infrastructure in recent years.
Other investments include:
- $1.3 billion to build the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital on a new site, the first major investment since the 2 hospitals merged in 1997
- $550 million for Fairfield Hospital, in its first major redevelopment since it opened in 1989
- $350 million in the Canterbury Hospital Redevelopment
- $120 million investment to expand bed capacity at Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals.
Premier Chris Minns said:
“Twelve years of inaction and chronic underinvestment has left communities outgrowing existing healthcare facilities.
“In our first year of government, we have delivered the largest pay increase in more than a decade for NSW health workers and one of the largest investments in Western Sydney health infrastructure in recent memory.
“Everyone deserves world class healthcare no matter where you live and we are committed to delivering that.”
Minister for Health Ryan Park said:
“There is a long history of undelivered commitments from the Liberal-National government with this project dating back to 2015. We won’t make the same empty promises and we’re getting on with the job of delivering this $700 million hospital for the community in North Western Sydney.
“We are committed to providing an additional 600 hospital beds for Western Sydney, and the new Rouse Hill Hospital will account for about half of this.
“It’s vitally important this new facility is staffed with the right number of doctors, nurses, allied health staff from the beginning, we’ll be intergrating key worker accommodation and child care to support our highly skilled workforce in the years to come.”
Member for Riverstone Warren Kirby said:
“Rouse Hill and northwest Sydney is home to a growing number of young families and the new Rouse Hill Hospital will provide world-class care and great job opportunities right on their doorstep.
“The new Rouse Hill Hospital will provide a significant boost to the economy during and after construction.”
WSLHD Chief Executive Graeme Loy said:
“The new Rouse Hill Hospital will demonstrate new ways of integrating hospital services with urgent care and preventative services to keep people well and preferably out of hospital, thereby reducing the amount of time patients need to spend in hospital when they require care.
“We’re so proud to be developing this new project, and to be involving our nurses, doctors, allied health and support staff in the planning for the new facilities.
“Meeting with members of the western Sydney community for feedback has shown the great interest in this new facility and we look forward to ongoing collaboration as we build this hospital of the future.”