Australia's New South Wales (NSW) Government has released the concept design for the new A$558m ($375m) Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital project.
This project aims to centralise specialised care services at a single location on the Albury Hospital campus. This will further enhance patient safety and minimise service duplication while eliminating the need for patients to make urgent trips between Wodonga and Albury facilities.
It will facilitate the future transformation of the Wodonga Hospital Campus into a non-emergency care hub.
This project, whose master plan was released last year, features the development of a new seven-storey clinical services building designed to provide advanced medical technology and infrastructure to border communities.
The effort will also add nearly 80 new beds for medical and surgical inpatients, mainly spread across three new units.
Of these new beds, around 60% will be single rooms, with the remaining in double rooms.
A mix of refurbished and new facilities is also a part of this project.
The facilities will feature new surgical and operating theatres, comprising a hybrid theatre and a procedure room, as well as a new cardiac catheter lab.
A central sterile supply department will be located adjacent to the theatres.
The project will also include a revamped intensive care unit, a new main hospital entrance with a public drop-off area from Keene Street, an Aboriginal family lounge, a multi-faith centre, as well as retail spaces.
Maternity and birthing services will see significant enhancements with the addition of a special care nursery.
The expanded services will also cover ambulatory care, cardiac diagnostics, allied health therapies, and a 32-bed mental health inpatient unit, which will replace and expand the existing 24-bed Nolan House facility.
Additional at-grade and multi-storey parking will be provided, with the final number of spaces to be determined as planning and design advance.
Upon project completion, the Wodonga Hospital campus will provide a variety of non-emergency services for the region, such as dialysis, day procedures, subacute care including rehabilitation, chronic condition management, outpatient appointments and other allied health services.
The government has invited the public to review the latest designs through an online survey and attend information sessions in Albury, Wodonga, and nearby areas, as their feedback will help shape the next design phase and planning process.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said: “The transformation of the Albury Hospital site will consolidate complex care on one campus, which will improve safety for patients and ensure better health outcomes for the community.
“Importantly, it will provide our dedicated health staff with a modern and fit-for-purpose working environment, which will help attract more health professionals to the Border communities of Albury and Wodonga to meet future demand.”
