Emma Pritchard, Clarence Valley Independent
A project team has been appointed to oversee the $263.8 million redevelopment of Grafton Base Hospital (GBH), after the Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor, and NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole met with Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis and members of the Grafton Base Hospital Community Committee (GBHCC) earlier this month.
Mr Gulaptis said the NSW Government’s investment in the major redevelopment of GBH will provide new facilities and upgraded clinical services to transform health outcomes and experiences for patients, their families, and staff into the future.
He said the appointment of a project team marks a key milestone in the advancement of healthcare for Grafton and the wider Clarence Valley to ensure locals have “the best possible state-of-the-art hospital to support the local community’s health needs now and into the future.”
“An experienced team of project managers, architects and cost managers who have worked on a range of health infrastructure projects in both metro and regional areas have been engaged to progress master planning for the GBH redevelopment to ensure the best possible health care solutions are delivered for the region,” Mr Gulaptis said.
“There has been strong local community support for the redevelopment, and I’m delighted to see this project progress to this very important next step.”
The project team was appointed following a competitive tender process and includes Mace Projects & PWC as the Project Managers, Woods Bagot & HDR as the Architect, and Altus Group as the Cost Manager.
Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said the immediate focus for the team will be developing the master plan with planning to commence in coming weeks.
“With the project team now on board, we will be consulting with key stakeholders including medical clinicians, staff, patients and the local community to inform the project’s planning and design,” she said.
“The Clinical Services Plan for the Clarence Valley region is also being finalised by the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) which informs the services and facilities and future timelines of the redevelopment.”
In coming months there will also be opportunities for staff, clinicians, patients and the broader community to have input on shaping the redevelopment as the project progresses.
Speaking with the Clarence Valley Independent, Ron Bell from the GBHCC described the meeting as “fairly positive”, and said he appreciated the opportunity to meet with the local member, Minister, and NSW Deputy Premier to discuss the ongoing project.
Mr Bell, along with fellow GBHCC members Des Harvey and Phil Belletty, recently questioned the funding allocations for the GBH redevelopment and previous announcements made by the NSW Government following the unveiling of the NSW Budget for 2022/23, after three separate figures were quoted.
Mr Bell said after the meeting earlier this month, the GBHCC were optimistic about the future.
“Going forward, it gave us a more confident feeling that we’re on the right track and continuing to obtain the necessary funding for the project,” he said.
Mr Bell said the GBHCC were also pleased with an offer extended to them by NNSWLHD Chief Executive Wayne Jones and Mr Gulaptis, to meet monthly to discuss the redevelopment progress.
“We took that as a positive step,” Mr Bell said.
“Everyone wants to see the hospital redevelopment go ahead, and we want to ensure that is happens for the community.”
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 17 August 2022.
