Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall, right, has met with Health Minister Brad Hazzard to secure an additional $30 million from the State Government to properly redevelop Glen Innes District Hospital.
Monday, 29 November 2021
MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has today launched an ambitious tilt to secure another $30 million from the State Government – more than double the current budget – for the Glen Innes District Hospital redevelopment.
Mr Marshall, who had secured a $20 million commitment from the government for a ‘refurbishment’ of the hospital, which was confirmed in the 2020-21 NSW Budget, said he was firmly of the view more needed to be done to completely rebuild and re-shape the hospital precinct.
Today, the MP met with Health Minister Brad Hazzard to push for an increase in the funding allocation, from the current $20 million to $50 million.
“It’s become increasingly clear to me that what we really need as a brand new hospital and health precinct in Glen Innes that is fit-for-purpose for the delivery of modern healthcare to the community,” Mr Marshall said.
“This is especially important in light of our desperate need, like so many regional communities, to attract and retain more doctors.
“We need to ensure a new hospital is constructed and includes space for GP clinics so that practitioners can actually be based and work out of the hospital, providing both primary and acute care to hospital patients and the general public.
“It also makes sense to co-locate a new ambulance station on the hospital grounds as well as provide modern accommodation onsite for visiting specialists, nurses of other medical staff.
“Unfortunately, none of this can happen within the $20 million already allocated – we need more funding, it’s that simple.
“The Glen Innes community deserves the very best in a new health precinct and anything less would be seen, quite rightly, as a very expensive band aid being applied to a very old and tired hospital building.”
Mr Marshall said the recently completed Clinical Services Plan for the project set out a bold vision for a first-class hospital and health precinct at Glen Innes that combined primary and allied health services.
“To achieve the goals of plan, deliver what the community needs and to attract and retain a larger GP workforce I told Minister Hazzard we needed to more than double the existing budget,” he said.
“Like Armidale and Inverell before it, Glen Innes will only get one shot at this golden opportunity to bring its old health infrastructure and services up to scratch and we need to do it once and do it right.
“An increased project budget to $50 million will allow everything to be delivered and for the hospital cater for the healthcare the district will need over decades to come, not merely what we need right now.
“We need to be thinking big and with the long-term future of healthcare in mind.
“I’ll continue to lobby Minister Hazzard and Deputy Premier Paul Toole to secure the extra funds.
“The timing is now critical with the hospital masterplan being drawn up by NSW Health Infrastructure.
“I’m determined to ensure that Glen Innes gets everything is deserves and I won’t leave any stone unturned in those efforts.”