Hospital management says there’s nothing sinister about it – it’s just an old ward that was decommissioned after the recent redevelopment of the hospital.

But for Wollongong MP Paul Scully, it represents what’s wrong with the health system – that a ward can lie empty, while patients face long waits for beds.

‘’I’ve got people within the system saying to me that we’ve got all these pressures – we’ve got emergency department delays and massive elective surgery waiting lists,’’ Mr Scully said.

‘’But we’ve also got empty wards – such as the one referred to as a ‘ghost ward’ because it’s empty of patients but full of beds.

Read more: Classrooms ditched in $21m overhaul for Gwynneville and Wollongong schools

‘’So the dots don’t seem to connect in terms of the way things are operating and legitimate questions are being raised.

‘’People want to know – if we’ve got excess capacity in terms of space –  what is the government doing to fix it up and get it operational to try and support the growth in health needs in our region.’’

Mr Scully recently placed questions on notice to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, asking if any operational wards had been closed after the 2015 hospital redevelopment.

‘’I also asked how many wards were available for future expansion, if any remained empty and what was required to make these wards operational,’’ he said. ‘’I was told no operational wards had been closed.’’

However Northern Illawarra Hospital Group general manager Nicole Sheppard confirmed this week that at least one ward had been decommissioned.

‘’As part of the $106 million redevelopment of Wollongong Hospital, the Illawarra Elective Surgical Services Centre has delivered two new purpose-built surgical wards and more than 100 additional beds to the facility,’’ she said.

‘’The redevelopment meant the hospital’s oldest ward, B7, was decommissioned once the new wards opened given it was outdated and no longer required for patient care.

‘’The new hospital wards within the redevelopment have delivered increased capacity, additional services and new models of care in brand new surroundings, specifically designed and built for modern-day health care.’’

Ms Sheppard said the decommisioned ward did provide the hospital with ‘’future options to consider in times of high demand’’, however, it would require refurbishment.

‘’During the recent unprecedented winter period at Wollongong Hospital, additional bed capacity was created within a number of existing wards in place of a specific winter ward, which better supported ward capacity,’’ she said.

However Mr Scully reiterated his recent calls for an independent, external inquiry into the funding of the hospital.

‘’I want to know whether or not the Berejiklian government is resourcing out health and hospital system to suit our current and future needs,’’ he said.

Health Services Union NSW secretary Gerard Hayes backed the MPs call for better resourcing.

‘’HSU members are constantly running up against resource constraints at Wollongong Hospital,’’ he said.

‘’We are chronically short staffed across multiple areas of operation. The Illawarra population is growing but resources are not being invested to match the surging demand.’’