Wollondilly MP Judy Hannan calls for 'promised' Stage Two Bowral and District Hospital redevelopment

Ms Hannan told Parliament the hospital had an advocacy group "second to none" in NSW.

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"The Stage Two upgrade for Bowral Hospital promised initially under the former Wollondilly MP Jai Rowell has been been announced over and over again, but there is little evidence of redevelopment since Stage One was opened in 2020," Ms Hannan said.

"The community has already expressed its concerns about what is happening at Bowral Hospital."

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Ms Hannan outlined these concerns, including the community having been told that the Stage Two new sterilising unit and pharmacy was already complete.

"These are inside the Stage One building but have been funded out of the $55 million Stage Two budget," Ms Hannan said.

She told Parliament the renal dialysis unit, which opened last year inside the former children's ward of the old hospital, was considerably funded [$750,000] by the community.

Despite being located in a refurbished area of the hospital, at minimal cost to NSW Health, the former government and Local Health District have claimed it as a Stage Two achievement, according to Ms Hannan.

"This funding and the gathering of support by the community was under the assumption of the original Stage Two redevelopment, which was to see an increase in bed numbers," Ms Hannan said.

"Stage Two of Bowral's hospital redevelopment was identified in the clinical services plans in 2015 and 2017 as requiring 129 beds for the next two-and-a-half years. The Clinical Services Plans also projects that the need for beds by 2031 will be 142.

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"I and the community waited with baited breath for how this would be achieved," she said.

According to Ms Hannan, there was a shortfall of 15 beds in Stage One "even in its opening in December 2020" and there were only 94 of the planned 109 beds.

"So, the planning target should now be an additional 50 beds to deliver the planned 142 beds in 2031," Ms Hannan said.

"And this is without the staggering growth projections in the Wollondilly and and Wingecarribee Shire ... The planned growth is going to go to nearly 71,000, an increase of 35.6 per cent in Wingecarribee, and an even greater population increase of 73.6 per cent in Wollondilly."

Despite this, Ms Hannan said there was no evidence of an increase in beds or clinical services in the announced Stage Two of Bowral Hospital.

"Planning has not progressed past 2031; 10 years sooner than the current planning horizon of both the local council and Department of Planning," Ms Hannan said.

"And the current announced Stage Two project has no additional beds or clinical services to address that target."

Ms Hannan says the Southern Highlands community has been short-changed by the announcement of a redevelopment which amounts only to "refurbishment of old buildings and the relocation of existing health services, hospital administration, a loading dock and a mortuary".

"An unattributed media release from the South Western Local Health District on May 24, 2023 stated the scope of the Bowral and District Hospital redevelopment stages one and two remains largely unchanged since their 2018 approval, with a continued focus on expanding clinical services and the capacity to meet the future health care needs of the community," Ms Hannan said.

"The media release also says that the hospital's Clinical Services Plan, including estimated bed numbers and service provision is regularly revised to ensure that care meets the needs of the community.

"Mind you, the only place that you can find this information is on the Clinical Services Plan on the hospital's website, which is currently updated in November 2017," she said.

Stage One has provided modern physical facilities for patient care but there is still a vast gap in services and corresponding facilities, according to Ms Hannan.

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"That should now be addressed, to develop Stage Two of the master plan that apparently seems to have been discarded, in favour of retaining existing old hospital buildings that will stand in the way and prevent future expansion of the hospital," she said.

"I call on the government to fulfill Stage Two as originally planned and listen to the community, and I look forward to working with the Minister for Health's office on the upgrade.

"I would look forward also to speaking on this matter again, with updates and highlighting the needs of my community and the services as they are delivered," Ms Hannan said.

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