More than 1000 people participate in new hospital consultation
Monday, 3 July 2023 / Albury Wodonga Health
The Albury Campus redevelopment project team has thanked the more than 1,000 staff, volunteers, patients, community members, local councils and health agencies who participated in community consultation for the $558 million state-of-the-art Albury hospital redevelopment.
Susan Medlin, Albury-Wodonga Health Director Capital Redevelopment, said the community drop-in sessions were well attended and delivered terrific feedback which will be a key element of the planning process for our community’s new health facility.
Ms Medlin said with planning for the redevelopment progressing well, the next step will be the completion of the master plan in the coming months.
“More than 150 community members took part in the recent community drop-in sessions, with feedback highlighting the community’s interest in the parking to be delivered on the campus as well as transport access to the hospital, and detailed traffic studies and analysis will be part of the planning process,” Ms Medlin said.
“The community was also interested to learn more about the hospital’s design, location on the campus, education and training opportunities, and workforce management, with detailed information to be confirmed as planning progresses.”
Ms Medlin said the Albury Campus redevelopment will bring together 24/7 health services and clinical expertise on a single site to significantly expand and enhance health services and facilities to meet the needs of the Albury Wodonga community now and into the future.
“Many people expressed their support to deliver the new regional hospital on the existing Albury Hospital campus and planning is well under way to enable construction to start next year,” Ms Medlin said.
“The Albury campus site will complement the work under way to deliver a new and expanded Emergency Department and also maintain the important relationships between the hospital, the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre, Hilltop accommodation and UNSW.
“The community can be assured that hospital services will continue to operate throughout construction and any impacts will be closely managed by the project team who have extensive experience in building hospitals of this scale on an existing hospital campus.”
The master planning stage is the important first step to developing a campus plan that outlines the vision for the site, to deliver a world-class health care hub and improved patient experience for border communities.
“NSW Health Infrastructure continues to work closely with Albury Wodonga Health, hospital staff, advocacy groups and key stakeholders including Wodonga and Albury Councils, to best inform the master planning process,” Ms Medlin said.
“A Project Community Advisory Group is being established which will provide a lived experience perspective and be the patient, carer and community voice for the project. 42 expressions of interest were received and a process to select members to the Group will begin within weeks.”
“The community will continue to have an opportunity to have their say throughout the planning and design and we look forward to providing more information on the master plan in the coming months.”
The project is being delivered by NSW Health Infrastructure in partnership with Albury Wodonga Health, NSW Ministry of Health and the Victorian Department of Health. The Albury Campus Redevelopment project is jointly funded by the NSW and Victorian governments and Australian governments.