Australia's New South Wales (NSW) Government has picked the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) campus in Bankstown’s City Campus Development (CBD) to build the new Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

This new site is said to facilitate access to public transport links and offer opportunities for future expansion to create a new ‘health neighbourhood’ for integrated health care.

The hospital is planned to be integrated with the existing hospital site. This will allow contemporary models of care and enhanced healthcare experience.

It will offer a range of services, including expanded emergency, surgery and interventional procedures, intensive care, aged health, and women’s and children’s health.

Other services include mental health, rehabilitation, ambulatory care, as well as cancer care.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said: “We were elected with a clear mandate to rebuild essential services and are getting on with the job to deliver South Western Sydney communities a new state-of-the-art hospital.

“The new hospital will significantly enhance healthcare in Bankstown and surrounding areas and ensure people can access the care they need, closer to home.

“Expanding the capacity of health infrastructure in growing communities right here in South Western Sydney is critical to improving wait times and access to care.”

The planning process for the hospital is scheduled for 2024 and will be conducted in consultation with clinicians, staff, and patients.

The NSW Government has earmarked A$1.3bn ($854m) for the proposed hospital as part of its 2023-2024 budget.

This is expected to cope with the needs of the Canterbury-Bankstown local government area population, which is projected to surge nearly 20% by 2036 to almost 500,000 people.

NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said: "During the planning phase of this project, TAFE NSW will work in partnership with NSW Health to plan co-location opportunities for TAFE NSW at the new hospital site.

“This will ensure TAFE NSW is well positioned to meet the learning needs of the local community, improve educational outcomes, and support the state’s priority skills needs.”