Operational Change For Hawkesbury District Health Service

St John of God Health Care will not renew its operating contract with Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) for Hawkesbury District Health Service (HDHS) when the current contract expires on March 31.

Joint planning is underway with NBMLHD to smoothly hand over the hospital’s operations to NMBLHD, with transfer planned to be completed by June 30.

St John of God Health Care Chief Executive Officer Bryan Pyne said continuity of care and patient safety were the first priorities during the transition and St John of God Health Care was partnering closely with the NBMLHD to ensure an orderly and thorough handover.

“We are proud to have served the Hawkesbury community for the past eight years, and we will work closely with the local health district to ensure a smooth transition for our patients and caregivers,” Mr Pyne said.

The hospital will continue to service the community as usual during the transition, including its 24/7 emergency department.

After the transition high quality clinical services will continue to be provided to the community by NBMLHD.

NBMLHD’s Chief Executive, Lee Gregory confirmed that the 24-hour emergency department, operating theatres, community health services and outpatients’ clinics would continue throughout the transition.

“Public patient appointments and clinic hours are not changing,” Mr Gregory said.

“Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District is well placed to continue the services provided by Hawkesbury Hospital.

“We deliver world-class, innovative health care from our four hospital campuses and nine community health centres, providing 24-hour comprehensive care to over 380,000 residents across the Nepean, Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Hawkesbury region.

“We will work with Hawkesbury Hospital staff to ensure their skills and valued local knowledge continue to play an integral role in providing high quality health care to our community.

“Throughout the transition, we will regularly update and engage with staff and the community to ensure we capture and retain the best from current services.”

The decision not to renew the contract with NBMLHD was reached as part of an organisational review that St John of God Health Care launched in 2023.

Opportunities to grow some services and reshape others were identified during the review.

Operating a single public private partnership hospital in New South Wales creates a range of operational and financial challenges.

The aim of the review is to ensure the long-term sustainability of St John of God Health Care’s national range of services and to align those services with the community’s changing health care needs.

This transfer will mean Hawkesbury District Health Service will be managed within the public sector, aligning it with the other hospitals in the local health district and most hospitals within NSW Health.

St John of God Health Care will maintain its two other NSW hospitals (both private mental health hospitals), St John of God Richmond Hospital and St John of God Burwood Hospital.

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