Plans for palliative care, urgent care centre and rehab upgrades as Mona Vale Hospital shifts to health hub
PRIVATE and not-for-profit health providers are encouraged to tender to co-locate with palliative care, urgent care centre and upgraded rehab facilities as the Mona Vale Hospital site focus is changed.
Manly
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A PENINSULA-FIRST palliative care unit, a new urgent care centre and expanded rehab facilities would be the cornerstones of a revamped Mona Vale Hospital site.
Pittwater state Liberal MP Rob Stokes today opened up expressions of interest from private and not-for-profit health providers to co-locate on the site.
He said he hoped Mona Vale would compliment the Northern Beaches Hospital when it opens in 2018.
More acute services like surgery would move to the Frenchs Forest site.
In the past five years, $50 million has been spent upgrading Mona Vale, including the expansion of a subacute rehab and new community health centre.
Another $30 million will be spent to: complete the planned 24-hour urgent care centre; an inpatient palliative care centre; and inpatient geriatric units.
“We are looking at expansion of inpatient palliative care which has never been provided for on the beaches before,” Mr Stokes said.
“At the moment people with terminal illnesses have to travel up to Neringah or Greenwich which are very poorly served by public transport from here.”
Mr Stokes said he hoped health providers would come up with plans and designs to knock down and rebuild older parts of the hospital site.
He highlighted buildings on the western side including the old chapel, dentist and nursing quarters.
“They are pretty old buildings. They have gotten to the end of their life,” Mr Stokes said.
“It is an opportunity to get something new.”
He said chaplain services would be catered for in a different location and dental had already moved to the community health centre.
He emphasised all land would remain publicly owned, but there were parts of the hospital “that have never been effectively used before” which could be used to expand the range of services on offer.
“I have spoken to a lot of the local GPs who are excited about integrated health care,” Mr Stokes said.
“There’s not just a GP but you have got your dietitians and physios.
“The hospital is not just a place where people are sick, but it is about preventing people getting sick and getting a wider health campus.
NSW Health Infrastructure executive director Anthony Manning said the wish list from health providers included day surgeries and mental-health facilities.
“We think, given the location and where it sits, it is a great site for rehab. Rehab is about lower-density development more green space, more access to those green spaces,” Mr Manning said. Expressions of interest from will be taken until February.
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