The latest artist’s impression of the new Shellharbour Hospital. Photo: NSW Government.
It’s not due to open until next year, but here’s your first look at the new Shellharbour Hospital.
Keira MP and Health Minister Ryan Park visited the Dunmore hospital worksite on Thursday (21 May) and released a unique fly-through perspective of what patients and visitors can expect.
The virtual tour showcases treatment rooms and clinical areas, outdoor areas, the emergency and surgical department, mental health services, medicine and surgery and ambulatory care.
Mr Park was joined on the tour by Shellharbour MP Anna Watson, Kiama MP Katelin McInerney, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District chief executive Margot Mains, representatives of builder BESIX Watpac, Health Infrastructure, other stakeholders and media.
The first sod was turned on the site in October 2024. Construction on the main building structure is well advanced and work on the multistorey carpark is underway.
Mr Park said the hospital was on track to open in 2027.
“We’re starting to get to the final phase of the outside construction and now we start to merge in with the fit-out, which is what we’ll start to see over the next few months,” he said.
“Those two transition as we get the structural part complete, we then start to work on the fit-out and then we get operationally ready for the transition from the old hospital.
“What this hospital will do will be able to deliver a range of new services for the southern part of our region, one of the fastest growing areas in NSW and that is important both from an emergency perspective, but also from all of the other services that this hospital will provide.”
Mr Park was quick to address one of the most controversial aspects of the new hospital – a lack of birthing services, which has angered large parts of the community.
“Let me say this: birthing will eventually be coming to Shellharbour,” he said.
“There’s no two ways about that, but what we can’t do is do it at the moment.
“Having spent a lot of time in discussions with Margot [Mains] and the team from the district … this is about making sure that we do this safely and in a way that it can be properly staffed.
“And the challenge for us, as is every case for every health system around the world, [is] getting midwives and keeping midwives.
“So we’ve got to make sure that we concentrate our birthing services where we can continue to attract the staff, that’s what we’re going to do initially.
“There is scope within this hospital to actually roll out birthing at a point in time. We don’t have a timeline on that.
“Eventually, though, the demand will be there, and we will hopefully, at that stage, be able to have a broader pool of staff to attract and keep there.”
The hospital will connect to outdoor and landscaped areas, including the Geera Garden, roughly the size of three soccer fields which was designed in partnership with local Aboriginal community groups.
It will include 1000 car parking spaces in multistorey and street level carparks.
The new hospital is part of the more than $780 million New Shellharbour Hospital and Integrated Services Project, jointly funded by the NSW and Federal governments. It will feature:
- An expanded Emergency Department
- Enhanced paediatric services, including a new Paediatric Assessment Unit
- Specialised elective surgery services
- Maternity services, including midwifery-led clinics, doctor-led clinics, midwifery group practice clinics
- Rehabilitation and aged care services
- Acute medical services
- Expanded mental health services
- A new drug and alcohol unit
- Renal dialysis services
- Outpatient care services.
The hospital will also have a rooftop helipad, which was announced during the Kiama byelection campaign last August after it was omitted from the initial approved plans.
Mr Park also addressed concerns raised by Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer about how Dunmore Road would cope with the increased traffic impacts.
Late last year Cr Homer called on the NSW Government to urgently fund and deliver upgrades to the road, warning that without investment it would be unable to cope with traffic to the hospital.
The single-lane road serves residents, Shellharbour Anglican College, Killalea State Park, Shellharbour Junction train station, The Links Shell Cove and golf course and Shellharbour Waste and Recycling Centre.
“Dunmore Road, in its current state, is not fit for the traffic volumes we expect once the hospital opens,” he said at the time.
“The NSW State Government has committed to upgrading the intersection where Dunmore Road meets at Shellharbour Road and the roundabout … but Dunmore Road itself, the very road that leads into the hospital, is not on the NSW Government’s agenda to upgrade.”
However, Mr Park said he was confident that work which NSW Health was carrying out with Transport for NSW was “going to make this an area that people can access and it is going to be safe”.
“But I’ve got to say this: every time we build a hospital, particularly ones worth three quarters of a billion dollars, there is going to be impacts on local traffic.
“I’m not going to pretend that that’s not the case. We see it at Wollongong Hospital, which is an older hospital, every day of the week.
“Yes, there are going to be challenges, but we’re confident that we can accommodate it and we’re happy to continue to work as an agency, both Health and Transport for NSW, with the local council.”
Original Article published by Jen White on Region Illawarra.
