Prestigious St Vincent’s Hospital to expand to Badgerys Creek site
IT is Sydney’s most prestigious hospitals and a leader in health care. Now, St Vincent’s Hospital has revealed plans to expand west and build a new health facility near Badgerys Creek airport.
NSW
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SYDNEY’S most prestigious hospital plans to expand west and build a brand new health facility near the new airport at Badgerys Creek.
St Vincent’s Hospital wants to “replicate” its iconic Darlinghurst campus in Western Sydney to meet the area’s huge population growth over the next 20 years.
St Vincent’s Health Australia chief executive Toby Hall said the region was “underserviced” and in need of new private and public hospitals.
“We certainly think we’d like to take what we’ve got in the inner-city, which is really one of the world’s best health campuses, and put it out into the west, around Badgerys Creek,” Mr Hall told The Sunday Telegraph.
“We would like to replicate the quality, the research, the skill base and the education and we think there’s absolutely room to do that.”
Western Sydney is one of Australia’s fastest growing regions with the population projected to reach three million by 2036. The new airport is expected to open in eight years.
The Sunday Telegraph can also reveal the State Government has earmarked land at Bringelly for a new health facility with a senior health source saying: “It has been flagged for the future”.
Mr Hall said he was already in discussions with the State Government about a public private health partnership to meet the west’s future demands.
“I think it’s an opportunity for the government to really look at a new innovative model of care and having a partnership with St Vincent’s on something like that is a natural thing to do,” he said.
Public private partnerships (PPPs) are contractual arrangements between governments and private organisations, but delivering a public service. The new Northern Beaches Hospital, opening in October, was built under a PPP.
“We see, too often, the support services that are needed in communities come far too late,” Mr Hall said.
“Everyone knows that the west is growing and everyone knows it’s now the epicentre of growth for Sydney and the infrastructure needs to be planned and actually should be thought about and put in place now, ahead of the community arriving rather than going the other way round.”
St Vincent’s is also planning for a private hospital within the redeveloped Liverpool Hospital precinct, which was allocated $740 million in last week’s State Budget.
“Now the announcement around Liverpool has been made, the next big thing that needs to be thought through is what is going to happen in that far west corridor — what is going to be put in place and funded,” Mr Hall said.
Founded in 1857 by the Sisters of Charity, St Vincent’s is a world-leader in medical research and treatment, caring for some of the Australia’s best known identities including pop star Delta Goodrem and the late billionaire Kerry Packer.
Western Sydney Business Chamber director David Borger said the new airport was a great opportunity for St Vincent’s.
“In the past, St Vincent’s hasn’t had much involvement in Western Sydney but it’s great that they are willing to come to town,” Mr Borger, who is also co-chair of the new Liverpool Innovation Precinct, said.
“Who would want to set up a hospital in a paddock unless they knew that paddock was going to be a transformed place.”
In the last Tuesday’s Budget, $75 million was also allocated for land to build a new hospital in the city’s north west at Rouse Hill.