St George Hospital Birthing and Delivery Suite

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-103100

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

St George Hospital Birthing and Delivery Suite

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (17:52:44):

Once in January and twice in June this year I visited St George Hospital to tour the birthing and delivery suite. I was escorted by Professor Chapman, Doctor Henry and Associate Professor Karantanis and we discussed the need for the expansion and relocation of the birthing unit. My most recent visit was with the Premier to announce the eagerly awaited funding injection to make the project a reality and to offer a solution to the current hurdles faced by the staff at St George Hospital. The current delivery suite was opened in 1992 and it has not been upgraded or refurbished in more than 25 years. In the delivery suite there are only six delivery suites, which service more than 2,500 births per year. It is also the tertiary referral centre for high-risk pregnancies for Sutherland Hospital and often accepts transfers from the Illawarra region.

The population surrounding the St George Hospital has now outgrown the number of available delivery rooms. Consequently, at least once per week the delivery suite has to divert its patients to other hospitals and this has led to much discontent amongst women who come to the delivery suite only to get turned away to another hospital. Additionally, women sometimes need induction of labour if they have serious conditions affecting the health of their babies. Such women may have their induction unexpectedly delayed by 24 or 48 hours because of a sudden overload at the delivery suite at St George Hospital. Patients and staff are becoming increasingly concerned.

In addition to this, the new acute services building has led to a relocation of the operating theatres. This has resulted in further distancing and isolation of the delivery suite from surgical intervention in the case of emergency caesarean sections. Women have to be trolleyed vast distances through corridors in public access halls and up lifts to finally get to the operating theatre lobby. The extra minutes required to race to theatre could have dire consequences for mothers and their babies. However, there is a simple solution, and only a Liberal-Nationals Government can deliver it. We have listened to the needs of the community and have allocated much-needed funding in the recent State budget.

Announced just a few weeks ago when the budget was handed down by the Treasurer, the New South Wales Government has committed $11.5 million to expand and upgrade the birthing suite and refurbish the existing operating theatres. This much-needed funding has provided solutions to all the obstacles that the facility, medical staff and expectant mothers are facing. This upgrade will involve relocating the delivery suite to the site of the old intensive care unit, which is currently desolate and located next to the operating theatres. This would permit a 30 per cent expansion of services for women in labour at St George Hospital. The medical professionals at St George Hospital see this as a long-term solution. The new delivery unit will be built to include eight birthing rooms and two assessment rooms.

I commend the Government for addressing the urgent need for such an upgrade to assist the mothers of the southern Sydney area with a more immediate and safer service. At the recent medical staff council meeting there was overwhelming support by the medical staff of all departments for the proposed expansion and relocation, and the feedback I have received since the funding was announced has been communicated with heartfelt gratitude. Since my election in 2011, the New South Wales Liberal-Nationals Government has invested more than $353 million for the redevelopment of St George Hospital.

I note that the member for Rockdale and the member for Lakemba are in the Chamber. The following is included for their benefit. The redevelopment has included a new emergency department; a nine-storey acute services building with more nurses and beds, marking the completion of stage 2; 108 car spaces added to the Grey Street car park; $1.5 million for upgrades to the Cancer Care Centre; a brand-new ambulance superstation at Kogarah with modern, purpose-built facilities; and $145,000 to refurbish the St George Hospital hydrotherapy pool.

This Government has a track record of investing in local hospitals after 16 years of Labor's neglect. I want to ensure that St George Hospital continues to exceed health facility standards and that it meets the demands of the local population. We have done so much already, but there is always much more to do. I am thrilled that the Government has secured funding for stage 2.5 of the hospital's redevelopment and that the hospital will be able to expand and relocate the birthing unit to a more appropriate location. I thank the Minister and, more importantly, I thank the Premier.