Rehab and palliative care staff at Port Kembla Hospital have been notified they will be moving from the ageing 1960s building and into newly fitted out wards at Bulli Hospital in just over a month.
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At a recent meeting, staff were told their move was scheduled early August, as the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District prepares to decommission the old hospital, which has "reached the end of its useful life".
It will be a temporary move for the palliative care service, which will eventually be relocated to Wollongong Hospital in early 2024.
Health district chief executive Margot Mains said the temporary move had been on the cards for several years.
"Our Palliative Care service is an important and highly valued component of the district's network of health services," she said.
"In recent years we have been open with the community and our staff about the intent to relocate the inpatient service, as part of decommissioning of the ageing Port Kembla Hospital campus."
When IRT pulled out of the aged care facility at the new Bulli Hospital, it left the district with new facilities that will now be used for the rehab and palliative care wards.
"The opportunity to expand the new Bulli Hospital campus, together with the larger program of hospital redevelopment works across the district, means the Palliative Care service needs to temporarily move to Bulli Hospital prior to being relocated to Wollongong Hospital," Ms Mains said.
"This was always intended as part of the transition of services that will enable the community to access specialist palliative care, particularly patients with more complex needs, and to receive that care in modern, fit-for-purpose health facilities."
Port Kembla Hospital's wards have been plagued by leaks and other issues - with reports the buildings lift have not been working consistently in recent times.
However, not everyone is happy with the temporary move for palliative care, with the family of one staff member raising concerns about access to parking and the design of the Bulli facilities in a letter to the editor published by the Mercury last week.
"In my mind and to most of my wife's colleagues, they believe it will be an extremely poor outcome for the palliative care of patients from the Illawarra and Shoalhaven districts at many levels," Windang resident Tom Loosz wrote.
"With the Palliative Care ward now situated at the northern suburbs of the Illawarra further hardship will be felt by families wishing to care and visit their dying family members having to travel this distance.
"[There is] virtually no parking available at Bulli Hospital for visitors or for the re-located PK Hospital staff of approximately fifty people a day now expected to work at Bulli Hospital.
"The lack of parking was raised with management and their solution for the hard working staff was to park at Bulli Woolworths, nearly a kilometre from the hospital and start walking."
Ms Mains said the health district and Health Infrastructure were investigating whether there were "feasible options to increase access to suitable parking for the Bulli Hospital campus".
Staff have been given a move date of August 1 for palliative care and August 2 for rehab services, but managers stressed that this was flexible and could change due to construction uncertainties.
"The project team is currently working with clinicians to develop specific transition plans for patients based on individual care needs and circumstances," Ms Mains said.
"The details will be discussed with families and carers of inpatients once a specific move date is finalised."
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