The huge project aims to deliver improved health services for the border communities and includes a new seven-storey clinical services building. This building will use cutting-edge medical technology and infrastructure to address the evolving needs of the border communities.
The project will also deliver a mix of new and refurbished facilities and is expected to include:
- More than 80 additional new beds for medical and surgical inpatients across three new inpatient units, with 60 per cent single rooms and the remainder in double rooms.
- New and enhanced Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
- Enhanced Maternity and birthing services, including a special care nursery.
- 32-bed mental health inpatient unit to replace and expand the existing Nolan House current 24-bed service.
- New surgical and operating theatres, including a hybrid theatre plus procedure room.
- New Cardiac Catheter Lab.
- New central sterile supply department adjacent to theatres.
- Expanded ambulatory care, cardiac diagnostics and allied health therapies.
- New hospital main entrance and public drop-off zone from Keene Street, Aboriginal Family Lounge, Multi-faith Centre and retail opportunities.
- Additional at-grade and multi-storey car parking.
The Albury Hospital campus will consolidate complex care on one site, improving patient safety, reducing service duplication, and eliminating the need for urgent travel between the Wodonga and Albury campuses.
These major improvements and upgrades will pave the way for transforming the Wodonga Hospital Campus into a non-emergency care hub, supporting the border community now and into the future.
The refurbishment of the current ICU space and existing theatres will provide additional points of care for the Emergency Department, a new six-bed Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Unit, and new and upgraded pharmacy and pathology facilities.
To increase parking capacity on the Albury site, a new multi-storey car park and better-designed parking spaces on ground level will be delivered. The number of spaces will be confirmed as planning progresses.
In addition, to facilitate the construction of the new clinical services building, a new building, to be known as the Northeast building, will be built as part of early works to support the relocation of services and provide opportunities for future service expansion.
The new clinical services building will offer expansive views across the region and a connection to the local landscape, along with new outdoor areas and spaces to support the healing and wellbeing of patients, staff and visitors.
When the Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital project is complete, the Wodonga Hospital campus will offer a range of non-emergency services to the region, including day procedures, dialysis, subacute care such as rehabilitation, treatment for patients with chronic medical conditions, outpatient appointments and consultations, allied health including physiotherapy and social work.
Planning and design for the Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital has been informed by consultation with key stakeholders, including Albury Wodonga Health Service staff, Albury Council, Wodonga Council, NSW and Victoria government agencies, the local Aboriginal community, the Project Community Advisory Group and the broader Albury Wodonga community.
Through consultation, clinical services have been prioritised to meet the immediate and growing needs of the community and ensure building works can commence sooner. During this process, patients requiring transport to a more specialised hospital for more urgent and acute care will continue to be safely and effectively managed from the nearby Albury Airport.
The Clinical Services Building is designed to enable future expansion, including space for a new paediatrics inpatient unit, operating theatre expansion, additional consulting rooms and education and library spaces. These spaces will be fitted out in stages within the available budget.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the release of the concept design is an exciting step forward in the delivery of the new Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital.
“The Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital will provide enhanced and expanded health care services in a contemporary health facility,” Minister 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.”
The community is encouraged to view and provide feedback on the latest designs via an online survey and at a series of in-person and online staff and community information sessions in Albury, Wodonga and the surrounding areas.
Feedback on the concept design will be used to inform the next stage of design and support the development of necessary planning requirements. For further information about the redevelopment visit: Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital - Health Infrastructure NSW
www.hinfra.health.nsw.gov.au/projects/project-search/albury-wodonga-regional-hospital
An unadvertised information session for the project was held last Friday morning outside Corowa Woolworths on Sanger Street.
Federation Council will continue to advocate for a new greenfield Albury Wodonga hospital like other regional councils such as Indigo Shire Council
At its final monthly meeting of the currently elected council on August 27, Federation Council spoke strongly towards a big improvement in medical services for Albury Wodonga, despite acknowledging serious concerns about the forthcoming of federal and states’ funding. Council resolved to:
- Advocate to state and federal governments to collaborate for the development of a fully-funded greenfield site hospital based on the 2021 clinical service assessment and master plan
- Support a forum on the project being hosted by lobby group Better Border Health in its area.
Cr Sally Hughes led the charge for stronger action to meet hospital requirements, via a new hospital on a greenfield site and emphasised the significance of ‘people power’.
Cr David Longley said it was highly unlikely there would be any further funding than what was promised for an upgrade of the existing hospital.
Cr Andrew Kennedy was disillusioned with governments' stone-wall silence, saying Victoria was bankrupt, NSW was not much better, and the federal government and the federal government had no money.
“The people power stopped that toxic incinerator in our community (early 1990s),” Cr Hughes said.
“If we have a united 12 councils and all the people in those communities standing up and demanding the hospital they deserve then I think the federal government and the states will listen to us.”
Last month a special meeting of Indigo, Alpine and Towong Shire Councils voted unanimously to take a united stance in advocating for better health services for the region, including a single site hospital built on a greenfield site.
Held in the historic Beechworth Town Hall on August 13, the three councils endorsed several advocacy action items including, calling for the State Governments of Victoria and New South Wales to pause the current redevelopment plans for the Albury Hospital and redirect efforts towards a new single site facility development in either Albury or Wodonga.
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