New Hospital for Blue Mountains
Petitioner:
Miss Kate Croucher
| Member:
Doyle, Trish
| No. of Signatories:
2,672
| Date closed:
08/08/2022
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
We regard the case for a new hospital at Katoomba to be irrefutable. The Blue Mountains District Anzac Memorial Hospital is almost 100 years old and no longer fit for purpose.
It is a significant constraint on the effective delivery of critical health services to our community, despite the wonderful work and best efforts of the hardworking staff.
Our community is geographically dispersed – 26 villages along 100km of ridgeline and not easily able to access the major hospitals in Sydney.
The Blue Mountains suffers regular adverse weather and natural disaster events. They cause accidents and injuries including on the Great Western Highway. Before the pandemic we hosted millions of tourists every year, who also need to use the hospital.
Our current hospital is so dilapidated that parts of it are uninhabitable. The maintenance and repair costs are excessive, with buckets used in the wards during heavy rain. The services lacking are many, including no critical/intensive care units.
The undersigned Petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to:
• Commit to fund the planning and construction of a new, purpose built, modern, public hospital in Katoomba, starting with refreshing and
completing the Clinical Service Plan for One New Hospital.
• Promptly improve and expand service delivery within the constraints of the current building as immediate improvements, whilst Capital
Works Project construction is underway
• Restore the Hospital to its previous peer-group status, in terms of being classified as a universal facility
