The Illawarra is set to receive a huge boost to health services across the region, with a site now chosen for the new Shellharbour Hospital, and plans to expand bed capacity and services at Bulli and Wollongong and build a new community health facility at Warrawong.

The changes will lead to the staged closure of Port Kembla Hospital and a greatly expanded new hospital at Shellharbour as part of a $700 million-plus redevelopment project.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard today announced the new state-of-the-art Shellharbour Hospital will be built on a greenfield site on Dunmore Road, Dunmore.

“This fantastic greenfield site is well connected to the road and rail transport network so the hospital will be accessible to the whole community,” Mr Hazzard said.

“The site also provides space for the hospital to expand in the future so it can continue to meet the healthcare needs of the growing Illawarra community.

“The new hospital will deliver world class health services to Shellharbour, reduce travel times and take the pressure off other nearby facilities such as Wollongong.

"We’ve chosen a great site to build our hospital and, after careful planning with staff and the community, we expect to see shovels in the ground before March 2023.”

The new Shellharbour Hospital is expected to include:

• expanded emergency services
• increased surgical capacity
• rehabilitation and aged care services 
• acute medical services
• new mental health services in contemporary, patient-centred facilities
• renal dialysis
• outpatients and ambulatory care services
• car parking and improved public transport links.

As part of the integrated project, NSW Health will expand its services at Bulli Hospital and add palliative care and rehabilitation beds at Wollongong Hospital while the new Shellharbour Hospital is being built. A new community health facility will also be built at Warrawong.

Member for Heathcote Lee Evans said the decision to create greater capacity at Bulli will give patients better access to healthcare in a newly opened modern hospital.

“Bulli Hospital has been open for less than a year and already I’ve been told that it sets a new standard in the Illawarra.  Rehabilitation is such an important phase in a patient’s recovery and I am delighted there’ll be more beds there for the whole community,” Mr Evans said.

Now that a preferred site for the new Shellharbour Hospital has been identified, the project team will carry out further due diligence investigations to ensure the site meets the region’s needs before acquiring it.

The NSW Government is investing a record $10.7 billion in health infrastructure over the four years to 2024, including more than $900 million in rural and regional areas in 2020-21.

For aerial images of the Shellharbour site and artist’s impressions of the Warrawong community health facility go to: https://bit.ly/33SXUcI