Hills District will become Sydney’s new health ‘epicentre’

Hundreds of millions of dollars is being invested in healthcare in the Hills. These are the major projects which will ensure it will be Sydney’s next great health epicentre.

With a new public hospital, investment in the next generation of nurses and a sprawling new medical hub with a world class cancer treatment centre, the Hills is set to be one of the city’s ‘fastest growing’ health precincts.

Residents who work in the healthcare industry made up the highest percentage of workers in the Hills at 11.5 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The next most popular industry for Hills residents was science and technical services which made up 10.4 per cent of employed residents followed by retail at 10.3 per cent, according to the most recent 2016 census data.

“Our health industry is booming,” Hills Shire mayor Dr Michelle Byrne told The Hills Shire Times.

“With two hospitals already open to the public and a third proposed for Rouse Hill, as well as the University of Canberra announcing the opening of a nursing faculty in Castle Hill - it makes sense for health businesses to be based here.

“We also have Norwest Business Park, which is a highly connected one-stop shop that fosters education, boosts innovation and drives employment. And we have a great local talent pool.

“It’s fantastic that our residents can grow up here, learn and train here and also get jobs here - and that’s a really big benefit for the Hills Shire community.

“If we learned anything from COVID-19 - it's the need for more people to be based in the health sector.”

We have rounded up the biggest and most influential health developments set to change the Hills in the coming years.

ROUSE HILL HOSPITAL

The much-anticipated new Rouse Hill Hospital is expected to provide for the booming population in Sydney’s northwest.

The much-anticipated new Rouse Hill Hospital is expected to provide for the booming population in Sydney’s northwest.

The NSW government announced the hospital’s updated location at the northeastern side of Windsor Road near Commercial Road in March this year.

The $300M development is set to be huge asset for the Hills and Western Sydney communities and will be widely accessible being close to the Rouse Hill Town Centre and metro station.

The site acquisition process is underway and construction is set to start before 2023.

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN CASTLE HILL

The University of Canberra announced last month that it will be opening a Hills campus at the old Castle Hill day surgery.

The Hills will be welcoming its first university campus at Castle Hill which will be focused on training the next generation of nurses.

The University of Canberra announced last month that it will be opening a Hills campus at the old Castle Hill day surgery.

Degrees on offer at the campus will include a Bachelor of Nursing and a new Graduate Entry Master of Nursing.

It will feature state-of-the-art labs and facilities for 400 students.

The University of Canberra announced last month that it will be opening a Hills campus at the old Castle Hill day surgery.

“The campus site is well suited for development as a bespoke higher education campus to deliver health courses with state-of-the-art facilities including clinical and nursing simulation equipment and specially designed laboratory spaces,” the university’s pro vice-chancellor Lawrence Pratchett previously said.

The campus and its nursing students are also expected to act as a ‘feeder’ to the new Rouse Hill Hospital when complete.

Construction has begun on the site and is due to be completed in the second half of the year in time for semester 1 2022.

NEW MEDICAL PRECINCT ‘THE BOND’

A new medical precinct featuring a $10m cancer radiation therapy is also coming to Bella Vista.

Mulpha’s health and commercial precinct ‘The Bond’ will be situated on the corners of Elizabeth Macarthur Drive and Norbrik Drive.

Mulpha’s health and commercial precinct ‘The Bond’ will be situated on the corners of Elizabeth Macarthur Drive and Norbrik Drive.

A world class cancer treatment centre set up by Genesis Oncology and a specialised IVF clinic and reproductive surgery headed by fertility specialist Dr Antony Lighten will be the anchor tenants.

The six-storey building made with state-of-the-art cross-laminated timber technology will also feature specialists in orthodontics, obstetrics, gynaecology and mental health.

Mulpha’s general manager of developments Tim Spencer said the company was motivated to set up the medical precinct in the area since 2017 on the back of the growing health and wellness trend and the booming Hills population.

Mr Spencer said the Hills and Norwest corridor was one of the fastest growing medical precincts in Sydney.

“I think it’s definitely the fastest growing (precincts) that’s already got an established base,” he said.

Norwest master developer Mulpha held a tree planting ceremony this week to mark the commencement of construction on The Bond. Mulpha’s GM Tim Spencer pictured in the centre.

When asked if the Hills could be seen as Sydney’s latest health epicentre he said, “absolutely.”

“Look at the private hospitals in Castle Hill and the one here in Norwest as well as the public one coming in Rouse Hill,” Mr Spencer said.

“The Bond’s Genesis Care, IVF facilities and other medical tenants strong in the mental health zone will add to this.

“We think there’s a massive population growth extending out through the northwest corridor.”

With The Bond being just a stone’s throw away from Norwest Private Hospital, he said the two major establishments were expected to “feed off each other.”

“The hospital is strong in its birthing and reproductive services. That fits well with Dr Lighten at The Bond,” he said.

“They complement each other. It’s trying to bring in more offerings in the one space so customers don’t have to travel too far. They don’t have to travel to different places for their treatments as they previously had to.”

The Bond will also include a childcare centre, gym, retail outlet, commercial space and an underground carpark.

Construction started this week and is due for completion in August 2022.

With the region’s growing population, Mayor Byrne called on medical businesses and health professionals to consider relocating to the Hills.

“As our population grows, we will need more people in medical and caring professions, more people working in health research, and more people developing innovative treatments for complex conditions, such as cancer,” Cr Byrne said.

“I encourage business owners, particularly those in health-related industries, to consider whether relocating to the Hills would be right for them.

“We have specialised centres that are attractive and easily accessible via public transport, as well as a world class business park in Norwest.”