Government Invests In Healthcare Worker Accommodation

Communities across regional NSW can now have their first look at a $45.3 million dollar NSW Government investment into key healthcare worker accommodation, set to be rolled out across Balranald, Broken Hill, Cooma, Finley, Leeton, Narrandera and West Wyalong.

An off-site prototype unit has been completed alongside final artist impressions for each site, giving local communities their chance to view the modern and sustainable design of the new units.

The units will support heath care workers looking to establish themselves in a new community by providing accommodation close to work.

This is a key factor in attracting and retaining health workers at rural and regional hospitals.

Member for Murray Helen Dalton said the investment would help draw medical professors to consider a career in the region.

“The establishment of purpose built, considered accommodation is not only beneficial for healthcare staff but also for the communities in Finley, Leeton and Narrandera who will benefit from skilled healthcare professionals,” Ms Dalton said.

Extensive consultation with clinicians has been undertaken as part of the planning and design process, which has been used to inform the prototype.

The prototype allows the units to be tested before they are built to ensure they will be fit-for-purpose, safe and comfortable for local and visiting healthcare workers.

The units will be built off-site and then installed on hospital grounds in Broken Hill, Cooma, Finley, Leeton, Narrandera and West Wyalong.

The sites were selected following consultation with local health districts to determine which facilities had the most urgent need for accessible, affordable accommodation to support their workforce.

Two pre-fabricated accommodation cabins, each with two units, have been delivered and installed at Balranald Hospital.

Works on site are currently being finalised and the units are expected to be ready for occupation in the coming months.

All accommodation will follow the same architectural design, and sustainability will be a focus with the units fully electrified and solar ready.

Offsite construction of the accommodation will commence shortly after feedback on the prototype is considered.

The new units will be installed starting in mid-2024 and are expected to become available to key workers in late 2024/early 2025.

The NSW Government’s investment into the key worker accommodation is just part of a range of measures we are rolling out to improve access to care in our regional, rural and remote communities, including:

• doubling rural health incentives which has seen more health workers recruited or retained in the bush;
• boosting doctors in our regional GP surgeries as well as hospitals through the single employer model; and
• delivering an extra 500 regional paramedics.

• Topics:

• Health & Wellbeing