Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital has officially opened its new $440 million Acute Services Building, marking a major stage in the redevelopment of the South Coast hospital.
The seven-storey building began treating patients on Wednesday, 28 October, with the expanded Emergency Department opening from 8am. It is directly connected to the existing hospital and will progressively accommodate a wider range of acute, critical care, surgical, mental health and specialist services.
Expanded Emergency, Surgical and Critical Care Services
The new building includes a larger Emergency Department and short-stay unit, a new Intensive Care Unit, medical wards and a dedicated acute mental health unit.
It also delivers double the previous number of operating theatres, endoscopy rooms and procedure rooms, alongside a dedicated cardiology inpatient unit, coronary care unit and cardiac catheterisation laboratory.
New medical imaging facilities include MRI and CT services, while a rooftop helipad provides direct access to emergency and critical care areas.
Several operating theatres, the Coronary Care Unit, Intensive Care Unit, pharmacy, medical imaging and acute aged care services were among the facilities operating from the first day. Other services, including the Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre, mental health inpatient services and additional cardiology services, will move into the building in stages later in 2026.
Regional Hospital Gets Pharmacy Dispensing Robot
Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital will also operate what NSW Health says is the first pharmacy dispensing robot in a regional NSW hospital.
The automated system is designed to assist pharmacy staff with storing, selecting and supplying medications, with the aim of improving dispensing accuracy and efficiency.
The technology forms part of the new hospital pharmacy, which is already among the services transitioning into the Acute Services Building.
Staffing Expanded Alongside New Facilities
The redevelopment is also being supported by additional recruitment across the hospital.
The NSW Government said 120 additional health staff were commencing work during the opening week.
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District says the expanded hospital will ultimately be supported by an overall staffing uplift of almost 220 full-time-equivalent positions as services move into the new facilities.
The government has also invested in accommodation aimed at helping recruit and retain health workers in the region, including nine townhouses purchased in Bomaderry under the Key Health Worker Accommodation Program.
Further Redevelopment Work to Continue
Opening the Acute Services Building does not mark the end of the wider hospital redevelopment.
Once remaining services have transitioned into the new building, work will move to refurbishment of existing hospital facilities.
Health Infrastructure currently expects refurbishment works across the hospital campus to continue through 2027.
The redevelopment is intended to allow more emergency, acute, surgical and specialist treatment to be provided locally, reducing the need for some patients to travel to Wollongong or Sydney.
More complex cases may still require transfer to larger specialist hospitals.
The opening also coincides with 75 years of hospital services in the Shoalhaven, marking a significant expansion of the facility’s role in healthcare delivery across the South Coast.
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