Coffs Harbour’s new NSW Ambulance station opens

Coffs Harbour’s new ambulance station was officially opened today, but NSW Health Minister Ryan Park warned it won’t be a silver bullet and the challenge of building an appropriate workforce was giving him sleepless nights.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park officially opened the new Coffs Harbour NSW Ambulance station on July 25. Pictures: Chris Knight

Coffs Harbour’s new state-of-the-art central ambulance station is all sirens go – with state politicians defending the decision to build it on Marcia St.

The station was officially opened this morning though it has been operational for the past fortnight.

The new site has been previously criticised by some residents as Marcia St, which runs off the Pacific Hwy, can be flood prone.

But Health Minister Ryan Park said the station was fit-for-purpose, and Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh said the location had been guided by analysis of triple-0 call statistics.

Mr Singh, the NSW Emergency Services shadow minister, said the electorate would be served by three ambulance stations – at Sawtell, Woolgoolga and the new site.

Coffs Harbour’s new NSW Ambulance Station opens | Gallery

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The old station at the hospital in South Coffs will be decommissioned, and Mr Singh said the central location of the new building would be better placed to serve the “population of Coffs Harbour shifting slowly to the north”.

Mr Park said the new Coffs station – funded through the $232m Rural Ambulance Infrastructure Reconfiguration program – was an acknowledgment that “infrastructure is critically important”.

NSW Ambulance assistant commissioner Wayne McKenna was among the special guests, which included Coffs Harbour mayor Paul Amos. Picture: Chris Knight

“This is not a silver bullet,” Mr Park said, adding he was adopting a “laser-like focus” on the need to improve staffing and recruitment of frontline health workers.

He said 11 new paramedics had recently joined the new Coffs station.

“What keeps me up at night is staffing our hospitals,” Mr Park said.

The Minister said the Minns government was committed to a “recalibration” of country health facilities.

It’s not official without a plaque and a ceremonial cutting of a ribbon. Picture: Chris Knight

Health Minister Ryan Park fields questions from the media at the official station opening. Picture: Chris Knight

The new station comes on line and will join the bases at Sawtell and Woolgoolga in serving the needs of Coffs Harbour. Picture: Chris Knight

“Regional hospital facilities have to be prioritised,” Mr Park said.

He parried questions about a backlog of people awaiting elective surgeries, noting it was a hangover from the heights of Covid when such procedures were paused.

The new Coffs station features internal parking for up to 12 emergency ambulance vehicles, relief accommodation for paramedics, an internal wash bay, administration and office areas, logistics and storage and staff parking.

“This is a significant day for our community and for the NSW Ambulance paramedics who are settling into their new home,” Mr Singh said.

“The new station … is a game-changer for our local paramedics and signifies a new chapter in local health care delivery.”

The new station includes a gym and has been fitted with a solar powered energy system which enables battery storage and an emergency power source for essential building services such as lighting and roller doors.