NSW will benefit from a $2.3 billion investment in world-class hospitals and health services in 2018-19, with a record $8 billion being invested over the next four years for new facilities, upgrades and redevelopments.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said this record Budget delivers funding for 40 new, upgraded or redeveloped hospitals.

“Our Government is committed to providing state-of-the-art health facilities for all of NSW,” he said.

“Not only are metropolitan and regional communities all over NSW benefiting from new and improved emergency departments, more inpatient wards and operating theatres and better intensive cares services, but the health construction boom is bringing jobs to towns across the State.”

Mr Hazzard said a healthy economy means a healthy hospital system.

“The NSW Government’s record health funding ensures our nurses, doctors and other clinicians can continue to provide the best possible care, supported by the most modern equipment in the newest facilities,” he said.

New major works and programs commencing in 2018-19 include:

• A major redevelopment of the Liverpool Health and Academic Precinct, including a Comprehensive Cancer Centre, expanded emergency department, surgical, maternity and neonatal care, inpatient and ambulatory care services.
• Stage One of Griffith Base Hospital, which will provide expanded inpatient, ambulatory care services and critical care services.
• Begin work on the Western Cancer Centre at Dubbo, which will deliver an integrated cancer diagnostic and treatment service for people in remote areas of Western NSW.
• Commencing the statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program, which will focus on improving therapeutic environments in acute mental health units, new specialist services for children and adolescents, mothers and their babies, and older persons, and an enhancement of assessment rooms to provide care and support in the community.
• Commencing a new Rural Health Infrastructure Program, which will provide capacity to undertake upgrades and refurbishments to areas such as emergency departments, bathrooms, waiting areas, wards and treatment spaces of smaller rural facilities, including Tenterfield, Dungog, Scone and Gloucester.

Other highlights of the health capital works investment for 2018-19 include:

• Continue the Westmead Hospital redevelopment (more than $188 million).
• Continue the expansion of the Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals ($90 million).
• Continue the Nepean Hospital and Integrated Ambulatory Services Redevelopment ($94 million, including the car park).
• Fast track works to expand and refurbish the birthing suite and refurbish existing theatres at St George Hospital ($10 million).
• Refurbish the Bankstown-Lidcombe Emergency Department ($6.5 million).
• Enhance hospital builds already in progress at Grafton, Inverell, Manning, Coffs Harbour, Cooma and Bowral (an extra $22.5 million in 2018-19, bringing the total 2018-19 allocation to $87 million). 
• $75 million for the next stage of Rouse Hill.
• Commence car parks at Campbelltown, Wyong and Port Macquarie hospitals ($33.6 million).
• Rollout of the Critical Communications Enhancement Program for NSW Ambulance, including the enhanced Government Radio Network, which will consolidate more than 70 separate radio networks to a single platform, addressing priority blackspots, and development of a "Push to Talk" service on ruggedised smartphone handsets as a fallback option during network failures ($17.7 million).
• Undertake planning for John Hunter, Nepean Stage 2, Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Stage 2, Albury medical care and obstetric and neonatal services, Canterbury, Bankstown, Shoalhaven (Nowra), Hornsby and Goulburn ambulatory care ($15 million).
• Continue work on building new hospitals at Tweed, Macksville, Maitland, and Mudgee ($108.6 million).
• Continue three Information and Communication Technology projects to deliver easy to read, accurate and more accessible patient records and hospital pathology results, and upgrade digital infrastructure across the State ($115.1 million).
• Continue to invest in NSW Ambulance stations across the State through the Sydney Ambulance Metropolitan Infrastructure Strategy ($20 million) and the Rural Ambulance Infrastructure Reconfiguration program ($16.4 million).
• Continue to foster cutting-edge research and clinical innovation with the second phase of the Medical Research Infrastructure Initiatives ($11 million).