Concord Hospital: More Covid-19 wards as inner west cases rise

A multimillion-dollar new hospital facility has been rushed open two months early as Sydney’s inner west continues to endure a worrying rise in Covid cases.

With dire scenes outside its emergency department in recent weeks and a spike in local Covid cases the State Government has fast-tracked the redevelopment of Concord Hospital to ease the pressure on Sydney’s health system.

The $341 million project will be fast-tracked for an ahead of schedule reopening to help deal with the crisis unfolding across the city’s health network.

On Wednesday there were 1189 people hospitalised with Covid.

NSW Health did not detail how many beds it would add to the pandemic response but revealed an eight-storey clinical services building would be the first on the site to assist with the crisis.

A Health spokeswoman said it had opened two months early.

The site of the new building. Picture: NSW Health

The view from above. Picture: NSW Health

“Two-thirds of inpatient beds in the new building at Concord Hospital are in single rooms, providing more space to isolate and care for patients with Covid-19,” NSW Health said in a statement.

“The modern design of the wards allows for optimal line of sight to patients and additional space for staff to have breaks and shower after their shift.”

Concord Hospital has been dealing with a swell of local Covid cases in the past week as infections continue to rise in the nearby suburbs of Glebe, Marrickville and Camperdown.

It has also been dealing with patients from Burwood, which has been an “area of concern” for the past month.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard pictured attending a topping out ceremony to mark the highest point on the newly constructed Clinical Services Building at Concord Hospital. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian Gilles

So bad has the situation been in recent weeks that the Australian Paramedics Association has repeatedly flagged that scores of ambos have been left lining up for hours outside of the hospital with patients desperate for a bed.

On Sunday night they claimed eight crews were left waiting outside for up to two-and-a-half hours while some were turned away.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard and other NSW Health officials at previous 11am daily health updates have said the health system was “under stress” but that it was able to cope with the pressure it was under.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has also previously stated she expected the peak of cases to begin next week and into the month of October, when the state is likely to be 70 per cent fully vaccinated and granted extra freedoms.

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