More than 90 community members across two days tuned in to attend online information webinar sessions to learn more about the Eurobodalla Health Service and its $200 million planned upgrade project for a new hospital in Moruya. The Eurobodalla Health Service includes hospitals, community health centres and non-admitted patient services such as virtual care and care in the home.
It also incorporates the care we deliver in partnership with other agencies such as Coordinare and Katungal.
Southern NSW LHD Chief Executive Margaret Bennett said more than 40 questions were submitted in the lead-up to the webinars to address further enhancements to the health service, encompassing planning, workforce development and future consultation opportunities.
Ms Bennett said interim works were now underway at Moruya Hospital to ensure the hospital continued to meet demand for health services during the planning and construction of the new hospital. Further information sessions will be held later in the year to keep the community informed.
“We will continue to strengthen and expand models of care in preparation for a smooth transition to the new hospital facility.
“Thank you to the local community for attending online and we are very much looking forward to hosting face to face sessions as soon as it is safe to do so,” Ms Bennett said.
Health Infrastructure Senior Project Director Matthew Malone said he was pleased with the community turnout.
“It was a great opportunity to provide an update on the development of the new hospital project to so many members of the community, and to share some of our achievements to date, as well as the upcoming activities we’re looking forward to starting.
“We are also pleased to launch the new Eurobodalla project website, which houses videos of the information sessions, up-to-date information on the project, and fact sheets on the Coastal Network and service delivery. FAQs will be available online shortly.
“The new $200 million Eurobodalla hospital at Moruya will provide an overall increase in bed and service capacity than is currently provided at both the existing Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals combined. It will be designed with the capacity to grow as demand for health services changes in the future,” Mr Malone said.
"Once completed the new hospital will deliver high quality, contemporary and accessible healthcare services."
The media release from Southern NSW Local Health District say says "the new hospital building will feature an emergency department; surgical and operating theatres; a day-stay surgical unit; dedicated medical, surgical and rehabilitation beds; medical imaging; an ambulatory care unit for the community to access outpatient health services; increased capacity for chemotherapy; paediatric and maternity; and education facilities.
The ONE New L4 Eurobodalla Hospital Advocates group has launched an e-petition on the NSW Parliamentary website’s petitions page calling for immediate improvements to accident and emergency, critical care and perioperative services.
The petition also requests the State Government commit to a fully-funded Level 4 regional hospital that provides clinical services across accident and emergency – including (not just increased capacity) critical care, surgery, maternity, paediatrics and orthopaedics, as well as a minimum Level 3 across all other services such as mental health.
The group are calling for the Level 4 status to be implemented “when the ribbon is cut” on the new hospital – "not five or 10 years down the track".
Southern NSW Local Health District say they are working with Health Infrastructure to deliver the new hospital in Eurobodalla to meet the current and future health needs of the region from Narooma to Batemans Bay.
The new Eurobodalla Health Service Project website can be found here: http://eurobodallahs.health.nsw.gov.au.
For more information, or for people wanting to be involved in the project, please contact HIEurobodallaHospital@health.nsw.gov.au.
