Media Release – 29 August 2023
The Diocese of Lismore today announced its vision to ensure the Northern Rivers and surrounding communities continue to be provided with high quality health care, announcing plans for a new private hospital, in the Uralba Street health precinct.
The new hospital will be built directly across the road from the Lismore Base Hospital, and the new hospital will facilitate the provision of expanded private health service opportunities and a consolidation of existing services.
“Our vision is to see a new private hospital created, surrounded by a thriving community of healthcare professionals providing cutting -edge specialist medical services,” said Greg Isaac, Diocesan Business Manager for the Diocese of Lismore.
“Since 1921 St Vincent’s Lismore has had a clear purpose to provide healthcare for the community in faith, hope and charity with compassion and respect. The plan we announced today will see the legacy of St Vincent’s Lismore continue long into the future.
“It is our unique history as a cornerstone of the community that has inspired us to think beyond the present day about how the growing and changing needs of our community will be best met for the next hundred years.”
“What we know is that innovative developments, like the one we have announced, will attract additional highly skilled specialists and create more, not less opportunities for medical and health care professionals already working in the Northern Rivers region.
Just as the new private hospital and surrounding health precinct will offer contemporary models of care, so too it will be funded and operated using a contemporary model led by a specialist private hospital provider.
The Diocese of Lismore is progressing with the purchase of the land for the new hospital and will now undertake a competitive process to secure a specialist provider to operate its acute health services going forward. Once the new hospital is open, the Diocese’s vision is to invest more in best-in-class facilities and services at the existing hospital site in Dalley Street, transforming it into an aged care centre of excellence for the region. It is not proposed that the Diocese develops or operates the new hospital.
“The Diocese believes the specialised delivery and operating model for the new hospital, together with the Diocese’s vision for the future of St Vincent’s Lismore’s existing site, will take health and aged care in the Northern Rivers to a new level, and deliver even higher quality, individualised, patient-centered care, which is central to the values of the Diocese”, said Mr Isaac.
“We’re at the beginning of an exciting journey and look forward to our patients, staff, volunteers, health care professionals and communities joining us to achieve the best outcome for all.”