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The $30 million redevelopment of the Inverell Hospital could begin as early as October if funding is passed in the 2017/18 state Budget.
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Design plans which were seen for the first time yesterday will include new renal dialysis facilities, an expanded emergency department with mental health facilities and single rooms for maternity, pediatric and general inpatients.
What is in the plans for the Inverell Hospital redevelopment:
- Expanded renal dialysis unit.
- New and expanded emergency department with mental health facilities
- New maternity and pediatric facilities
- Private single-room wards for maternity, pediatric and general inpatient care.
Inverell Mayor Paul Harmon was at the Inverell Hospital to view the plans and said it was “fantastic” to be able to see the designs on paper.
“(For) some of those people who were doubting whether any of those plans would come to fruition, today is a big step in the right direction. We have actually seen the plans,” Mr Harmon said.
He was confident the redeveloped hospital would serve the town’s growth and needs for decades.
Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall delivered the plans yesterday and was confident next stage of the $30 million allocation would be rolled out on time.
Mr Marshall said that he envisaged, if funding was approved by the NSW Treasury, the roll-out would be delivered over two financial years similar to the recent hospital redevelopment at Armidale.
“Over the next two months, I will be working very hard to lobby the Health Minister and the Treasurer to make sure that we get the first tranche of that $30 million,”
- MP Adam Marshall.
“I anticipate that we will be able to turn to first sod on this redevelopment towards the end of this year,” Mr Marshall said. “We now have a shovel-ready project that has been approved, ready to go.”
“I will do everything I can to ensure that the Treasurer allocates that first tranche of that $30 million in the upcoming state budget so that just like we did in Armidale, we can call for tenders and start construction.”
Mr Marshall said almost 80 percent of the redevelopment will be new construction.
“We are not just talking about refurbishing the existing historic Inverell Hospital; we are talking about virtually a brand new hospital will be built here on the hospital grounds behind the existing structure,” he said.
“The build will be taken over two financial years. We just want the first tranche to be allocated so we can get cracking.”
On Thursday last week, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard was in Tamworth and spoke of the need for the redevelopment to go ahead.
“There is no question that it needs to be done,” he said. “And the sooner that I can make that happen, the better,” he said.
The 2016/17 budget allocated $1 million to complete detailed planning and the business case.
How the story developed:
- April 2017: Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall delivers design plans for the redevelopment.
- April 2017: Health Minister Brad Hazzard says the sooner he can make the hospital redevelopment happen, the better.
- March, 2017: The business case, consistent with the details of the clinical services plan, is submitted to Treasury and later approval by NSW cabinet to release the next round of redevelopment funding.
- February, 2017: Bob Bensley pens a letter to the Inverell Times calling for access to the clinical services plan.
- December, 2016: NSW regional health plans for a doctor on duty full time in the emergency department, and a consistently staffed GP clinic in early 2017
- December, 2016: A petition circulates calling for 5000 signatures demanding better services at the emergency department.
- November to December, 2016: Reports surface of Inverell residents arriving at Inverell Hospital emergency, but finding no doctors available.
- March, 2016: A public meeting is held at the Inverell Town Hall with representatives from Hunter New England Health to discuss the hopsital redevelopment and the clinical services plan.