First user group meeting sets the agenda for Narrabri redevelopment

The move toward a new hospital for Narrabri will draw a step closer this week, with the first User Group meetings to be held this Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 February.

The User Group meetings bring together a cross-section of representatives involved in the redevelopment process.
 
Senior Facility Planner for Hunter New England Health Jennina Porter said the meetings would be the first of many important discussions regarding the new hospital, which would take place during 2008.

“The purpose of this week’s meetings is for our key stakeholders to come together to discuss the functional relationships of the new facility,” Ms Porter said.

“That is, the layout of wards and departments, and establishing staff and patient flow through a unit.

“We will look at the types of spaces used in a modern hospital, such as the emergency department, maternity unit or palliative care ward, and where they should logically be located,” she said. 

Up for discussion at the meeting are logistical arrangements surrounding hospital wards, community health areas, x-ray and pathology services, catering facilities, hotel services and administration areas.

Once the major departments are located, further meetings will take place to discuss the details of each room, technical requirements of the new building and the placement of individual units to form part of the overall new facility.

“We need this building to be flexible and meet the needs of the Narrabri community for the future, and many years to come,” Ms Porter said.

“This includes looking at the possibility of Telehealth technology and the inclusion of systems that will allow remote monitoring of some of the more complex systems used in a health facility,” she said.

The Narrabri District Health Service Redevelopment User Group includes Hunter New England Health clinicians and support staff, representatives from the NSW Department of Commerce Project Management team, as well as architects and engineers who will be involved in the design of the facility.

In addition to planning for the new facility, visible work is also taking place to prepare the site for redevelopment.

A crew from the NSW Department of Commerce Geotechnical and Environmental division began core soil sampling at the site last week.

Core soil sampling is an important part of early planning process for a new building, whereby samples taken from the site determine the quality of the soil and foundation requirements needed before construction can begin. 

Media Enquiries: Nicole Fuller, (02) 4921 4477 or 0408 665 019 (Ref: HNE-1265)

Contact: Nicole Fuller

Phone: (02) 4921 4477