The NSW Government is investing a record $33 billion in health as part of the 2022-23 NSW Budget, demonstrating its commitment to ensuring world-class health services for people right across the state.
On top of more than $30 billion in recurrent funding, the NSW Government will invest $2.8 billion in capital works to continue building and redeveloping hospitals and health facilities, delivering improved health outcomes for NSW families and communities.
Nationals Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said residents of the State’s regional and rural areas would benefit from thousands more healthcare staff and a significant investment in their healthcare facilities.
“Our regional and rural communities are set to benefit from the largest boost to their health workforce in the State’s history, with 3,800 more staff over the next four years, as well as an innovative and targeted overhaul of training and recruitment processes to address the key challenge of attracting clinicians to work and live in the bush,” Mrs Taylor said.
Key health highlights of the 2022-23 NSW Budget include:
- $1.76 billion for NSW Ambulance to recruit 2,128 new staff and develop 30 more new NSW Ambulance Stations in a major boost to frontline emergency care. The record investment will provide NSW with 1,858 extra paramedics, 210 ambulance support staff, 52 nurses and eight doctors over four years, ensuring it has the largest paramedic workforce in Australia
- $2.9 billion for mental health services and supports for people across NSW, including $143 million across four years for Towards Zero Suicides to fund suicide prevention initiatives, and $28.5 million over four years for Lifeline to boost crisis-counselling services
- $899 million to fund the ongoing costs of the COVID-19 response, including:
- $287 million to continue the overall hospital response, including testing in all hospitals and health facilities
- $253 million for personal protective equipment to keep frontline workers safe to continue to deliver the care that patients require
- $180 million for the operation of COVID-19 clinics o $161 million to continue the public health response, including surveillance and testing in the community
- $19 million for the management of long COVID-19
- $743 million over five years to ensure NSW residents have access to the highest quality care and pain management services for end-of-life care. This funding boost, on top of the $300 million the NSW Government already invests each year in palliative care, will deliver an additional 600 staff once the program is fully rolled out, and new dedicated palliative care units in two major hospitals, Westmead and Nepean, as well as developing and refurbishing existing palliative care facilities across the State
- $408 million over two years to fast-track elective surgeries delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic response. This funding boost will take the Government’s total commitment to reducing elective surgery wait times delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic response to almost $1 billion, on top of $2 billion invested in elective surgery every year
- $270 million over four years to transform the State’s biomedical and biopharmaceutical landscape, including the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator Complex at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown and the Westmead Health Precinct’s Viral Vector manufacturing facility
- $150 million over four years to expand and enhance the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme to improve access to timely specialist and preventative care and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients in rural, regional and remote areas
- $80 million over four years to extend and expand the Affordable IVF Program to support families with the high costs associated with pre-IVF fertility testing, fertility treatments and preservation. About 12,000 women who are using private fertility clinics will benefit from the rebate; another almost 6,000 women will be given access to publicly supported IVF treatment
- $40 million to ensure women struggling with problematic menopause will access a network of dedicated health services. The funding will deliver 16 holistic menopause services and fund a state-wide education and awareness campaign focusing on perimenopause and menopause
As part of the Budget, the NSW Government is also delivering on its pledge to ensure health services across the State are well placed to deliver first-class care by investing $3 billion on contemporary health infrastructure, as part of an $11.9 billion investment over the next four years.
Hospital upgrades and redevelopments starting in 2022-23 include:
- $263.8 million for the Grafton Base Hospital Redevelopment
- $200 million for the Bathurst Health Service Redevelopment
- $111.5 million for the Cessnock Hospital Redevelopment
- $80 million for the Temora Hospital Redevelopment
- $45 million for the Albury Hospital Redevelopment
- $25 million for the Finley Hospital Upgrade
- $20 million for the Forster-Tuncurry health facility
- $10 million for the Broken Hill Hospital Emergency Department
- An additional $60 million for the Eurobodalla Regional Hospital Redevelopment, with the government’s total investment now $260 million towards the new hospital to be built in Moruya
- An additional $40 million for the Cowra Hospital Redevelopment, which means the government is investing a total of $110.2 million for the redeveloped hospital
- An additional $30 million for the Glen Innes Hospital Upgrade, resulting in a government commitment of $50 million towards the redevelopment
Hospital upgrades and redevelopments in progress across the state include:
John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct ($835 million)
- Randwick Campus ($783 million)
- Tweed Hospital and Car Park ($723 million)
- The new Shellharbour Hospital and Integrated Services and Car Park ($722 million)
- Shoalhaven Hospital ($438 million)
- Lismore Base Hospital ($313 million)
- Griffith Base Hospital ($250 million)
https://www.budget.nsw.gov.au/budget-papers/regional-nsw
