Communities in regional NSW are being given their first look at new key healthcare worker accommodation, set to be rolled out in Broken Hill, Cooma, Finley, Leeton, Narrandera, and West Wyalong.
The final designs and a prototype room, have been completed, showcasing sustainable, functional and modern accommodation.
These units will provide new and visiting heath care workers with accessible accommodation, which is a key factor in attracting and retaining health workers at rural and regional hospitals.
The design process involved consultation with clinicians to ensure the accommodation units meet the needs of healthcare workers by being safe, comfortable, and fit-for-purpose.
Each unit will feature localised exterior designs to help them blend into the surrounding landscape, while also focussing on sustainability, with full electrification and solar readiness for efficiencies in water and energy use.
The units will be built off-site and installed on hospital grounds in towns selected through consultation with local health districts based on the priority of need.
Construction is set to continue with the units expected to be completed between late 2024 and early 2025.
The NSW Government is investing $45.3 million to build accommodation for key healthcare workers in the Murrumbidgee, Southern NSW and Far West Local Health Districts.
The Key Worker Program is in addition to hospital redevelopments being delivered across these districts. This includes Broken Hill Hospital’s Emergency Department, a new Mental Health Unit at Broken Hill as part of the Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program, Wentworth Health Service Redevelopment, Cooma Hospital Redevelopment, Finley Hospital Redevelopment, and the Temora Hospital Redevelopment.