Nurses housed in newly built Riverina health worker accommodation

New key health worker accommodation units built in the Riverina are already housing frontline staff, says Health Minister Ryan Park.

A chronic housing shortage in the region had encouraged the NSW Government to commit $23 million to deliver specialist accommodation for healthcare workers in Griffith, Deniliquin and Lake Cargelligo.

Three new units have also been built in West Wyalong, where they are being used by staff and students undertaking placement as part of their health-related studies, as well as night-shift staff who live out of town and require accommodation for overnight stays.

Irish nurse Aeisha Farrow moved from Sydney to West Wyalong in the Murrumbidgee area earlier this year to work at the local hospital and is living in one of the new on-site self-contained units, delivered as part of the government’s $73.2 million program.

“The units have exceeded our expectations, being very modern and spacious, and the safety aspect of having accommodation on site is important,” West Wyalong Health Service facility manager Kylie Holland said.

“Health staff who come out to West Wyalong to work often don’t have a vehicle and there isn’t a lot of public transportation available, so being so close to work is an advantage.

“Being able to provide accommodation to students on site is also great as West Wyalong is one of the Murrumbidgee LHD’s [Local Health District’s] main sites for student placements, which in turn helps us to have a better opportunity to recruit them once they have finished their studies, and increase our workforce.”

Six units in Finley and three in Narrandera have also welcomed their first tenants.

Also complete are new units in Leeton, the final key worker site for the MLHD.

The three units, one of which is wheelchair accessible, are fit for purpose and will provide a comfortable and safe place for temporary or newly relocated staff to stay while working at Leeton.

All units delivered under the program are fully furnished and self-contained and feature a light-filled living and dining area, modern kitchen, bedroom with ensuite, an internal laundry and a screened veranda.

The Minns Labor Government committed a $23 million investment to deliver housing for healthcare workers in Griffith, Deniliquin and Lake Cargelligo.

Not everyone is happy about this, though.

Some Griffith residents have asked why a building previously used as nursing accommodation was knocked down in 2018 and why the same fate is planned for the general ward of the old hospital.

“It’s crazy to think they’re knocking down a building that could be repurposed, even if it were just for temporary accommodation,” health services advocate Brendan Catanzariti said.

In 2018, building designer Sherene Blumer devised plans to repurpose the historic but unused nurses’ quarters building to provide 18 self-contained units to accommodate hospital staff. However, the previous NSW Coalition government ignored her plans and campaign to save the dwelling, instead opting to demolish it.

“We were told at the time they didn’t have enough money to repurpose the building, but we estimated it would only cost around $2 million,” Ms Blumer said.

She says she can’t understand why the government is now spending 10 times as much on new projects, which include constructing dwellings from scratch.

Nevertheless, Regional Health Minister Ryan Park sees the new accommodation as a win.

“This investment into improving the recruitment and retention of healthcare workers in our rural and regional communities underpins our focus on strengthening and supporting our highly skilled health workforce to ensure communities across NSW have access to high-quality healthcare close to home,” he said.