Hawkesbury District Hospital returns to NSW Government Management

The NSW Government has sought to assure the community that high quality health services at Hawkesbury Hospital will continue once its operations transfer back to public control.

Hawkesbury District Hospital (HDH) is set to return to public administration as St John of God Health Care (SJHC) has decided not to renew its operational contract, which concludes next month.

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said today that the NSW Government would assume responsibility for healthcare provision at Hawkesbury Hospital following SJHC’s decision. The transition of services from SJHC to Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) is expected to be completed by June 30, 2024.

“NSW Health and the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District is well placed to continue to provide high quality healthcare to patients,” Minister Park said.

“I want to assure the community that the excellent care and services at Hawkesbury Hospital will remain unchanged.

“And I want to assure staff that NSW Health will engage closely and regularly with you throughout this period to provide for as smooth a transition as possible,” he said.

The decision by SJHC not to renew the contract was attributed to the complexities of managing a single public-private partnership hospital in New South Wales. In a statement, SJHC CEO Bryan Pyne said that the decision was part of an organisational review initiated in 2023, identifying opportunities to grow and reshape services. “Operating a single public private partnership hospital in New South Wales creates a range of operational and financial challenges,” Pyne said.

Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman said thanked St John of God for their nine years of dedicated service to the Hawkesbury community and expresses confidence in the NBMLHD’s ability to sustain the quality healthcare required.

“I am pleased to see the commitment to Hawkesbury residents by NSW Minister for Health, Ryan Park, to continue to deliver excellent care to the community, including through the 24-hour emergency department, operating theatres, community health services and outpatients’ clinics, through the transition and beyond. Importantly, I welcome the Minister’s commitment to work closely with staff throughout the change, alongside the relevant health unions, to make the transition of their employment to
the NSW public system as smooth as possible,” Templeman said.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone at St John of God who has provided high quality and compassionate care to the Hawkesbury community for the past 9 years. It has been a pleasure to work with them to improve services like the new Medicare-subsidised MRI machine accommodated within the hospital,” she said.

Minister Park said that patients at HHD would continue to receive high-quality care, and NSW Health would work closely with staff and their unions to facilitate a smooth transition from SJHC to the public health system. The hospital will remain open throughout the transition period, with public patient appointments and clinic hours unaffected.