Concord Hospital’s state-of-the-art, 214-bed Clinical Services Building is now open, transforming patient care in Sydney’s inner west by offering new and expanded services for the community.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Minister for Veterans and Transport David Elliott and Member for Drummoyne John Sidoti celebrated the milestone at a ceremony and met staff and patients on a tour of the new, eight-storey building.
“The NSW Government’s $341 million investment in Concord Hospital delivers an extra 111 beds, most of them in single rooms with daybeds for carers, and also provides a new home for the nation’s first dedicated National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare,” Mr Hazzard said.
“The new Comprehensive Cancer Centre provides additional services for cancer patients, and aged care patients will benefit from new outpatient clinics, rehabilitation gyms and psychogeriatric medicine.”
The construction of the new building was accelerated to support the State’s pandemic response and was handed over early to accommodate COVID-19 patients.
Named after veteran and former NSW RSL President Godfrey ‘Rusty’ Priest, the Rusty Priest Building adds a new chapter in Concord Hospital’s 80-year history of supporting veterans and their families.
“We owe our veterans the highest quality care for their mental and physical wellbeing and the National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare will enhance the services available to them,” Mr Elliott said.
“Approximately 1,200 service men and women transition out of Defence to settle in NSW each year, and already more than 230 veterans have been referred to the service. The dedicated centre is critical to our continued commitment to caring for our veterans community now and into the future.”
Mr Sidoti said the NSW Government more than doubled the original funding set aside for the project, to help bring the health hub into the 21st century.
“I am immensely proud the NSW Government has delivered on its promise for the community and I want to thank staff and residents for championing the redevelopment,” Mr Sidoti said.
“I have been passionately advocating for this project for many years and I am delighted our wonderful doctors, nurses and health care staff now get to work in a state-of-art facility with the latest technology and equipment to help care for our community.”
The NSW Government is also investing $32.4 million in parking facilities, which includes a multistorey car park, with works to begin in mid-2022.
NSW Health will invest a record $10.8 billion on capital infrastructure to 2021-25.