NSW Labor pledges $550m to upgrade Fairfield Hospital

A Western Sydney hospital so rundown it had to bring in portable airconditioning units to get through summer will be overhauled under a $550 million Labor plan to bring it out of the 1980s.

A Western Sydney hospital so rundown it had to bring in portable airconditioning units to get through summer will be overhauled under a $550 million Labor plan to bring it out of the 1980s.

Dubbed “the forgotten hospital” by locals, pressure has been mounting on both the state government and opposition to commit to an upgrade, with staff declaring Fairfield Hospital was so rundown it did not even have the electricity capacity to run Wi-Fi.

Last week, Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone put both parties on “on notice” after collecting almost 11,000 signatures on a petition to upgrade the hospital.

We can reveal Labor leader Chris Minns will commit an initial $115 million over three years to bolster bed capacity by almost 60 per cent — an extra 130 medical, surgical and rehabilitation beds.

This will increase emergency department and intensive care unit capacity, as well as ­elevate the hospital’s emergency service level from three to four — meaning more specialist staff and greater care for emergency presentations.

NSW Labor Leader, Chris Minns has pledged to upgrade Fairfield Hospital …

… which has had to resort to using portable airconditioning units.

The extra funding will expand dialysis spaces and enhance radiology services, while rehabilitation beds will help expand aged care, orthopaedic, respiratory and interventional cardiology services

The commitment also ­includes expanding mental health services and introducing a psychiatric emergency care centre.

Labor estimates the final cost of the redevelopment — to be established after further planning and detailed design — will be about $550 million, and work will take up to six years to complete.

Opened in 1988, the hospital has never had a major upgrade, despite the growing local population and emergency department presentations, which Labor claim have risen by almost 30 per cent since 2011.

With the population in the Fairfield local government area set to increase by 36,662 people in the next 20 years — and ITS proximity to the new Western Sydney Airport — Mr Minns said it was time the hospital was upgraded.

“We want to ensure no matter where you live, you have access to world class health facilities,” he said.

Labor will draw the $115 million from the unallocated $3 billion WestInvest Government agencies fund, which will have its remit expanded to include urgently needed healthcare projects.

In welcoming the pledge by Mr Minns, Mr Carbone said he also wanted a commitment from Dominic Perrottet.

“Local residents deserve better care,” he said.

“The emergency department is inadequate, there is no room, the standard of equipment has definitely not improved since 1988.

“My father-in-law went to hospital three times a few years ago and got told to go home where he had a stroke.

“I was born at the hospital. I can’t sit back and see this continue. Many residents now just go to Liverpool (hospital).”

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