Milton Ulladulla Hospital (abbreviated MUH) is a local public hospital located in the town of

Milton, New South Wales Milton is a village in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, within the City of Shoalhaven. It was founded in 1860, named after the property of post master George Knight and became an important regional centre during the 19th Ce ...

. The hospital services the Milton Ulladulla district in the

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses ...

. It is located on the Princes Highway at Milton and is approximately by road from

Ulladulla Ulladulla is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has cl ...

. MUH is operated by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District. In summer months,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

brings a large influx of population to the region, requiring operational flexibility.

Services

Milton Ulladulla Hospital has a 24-hour, 6 bed emergency room and is equipped with an

operating theatre An operating theater (also known as an operating room (OR), operating suite, or operation suite) is a facility within a hospital where surgical operations are carried out in an aseptic environment. Historically, the term "operating theater" refe ...

for performing minor surgeries. A

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

and a

maternity ward Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births global ...

are supported by a limited obstetrics capability, as well as outpatient services including

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

. Patients requiring treatment for conditions that the hospital is not equipped to handle are referred to the larger

Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital The Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital often shortened to Shoalhaven Hospital (abbreviated SDMH) is a public hospital serving the City of Shoalhaven in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Shoalhaven River from the N ...

or to Wollongong Hospital. A renal dialysis unit for the hospital has been identified as part of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District's future planning and in 2013 auxiliary support staff began community fundraising to help fast track the facility. A helipad located off the nearby Croobyar road supports patient transfers and is operated by the hospital.

History

The first hospital in the area was established in 1908 by Harold Riley, it was a basic facility which employed nurses to care for patients. In 1936 it was transferred to government control, and in 1938 was renamed to the current Milton Ulladulla Hospital. By 1967, it had outgrown the original cottage and was relocated to the current buildings with the then Governor of New South Wales Sir

Roden Cutler Sir Arthur Roden Cutler, (24 May 1916 – 21 February 2002) was an Australian diplomat, the longest serving Governor of New South Wales and a List of Australian Victoria Cross recipients, recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for ...

officially opening the new facility. Following a community appeal which began in November 2003, a cancer services centre was established to provide an

outpatient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...

oncology clinic for the community. Despite a major setback caused by fire destroying the original clinic building in March 2005, the new centre, built with community funds was transferred to the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and opened its doors in 2008. In 2013, the hospital's maternity ward was downgraded, placing limitations on the obstetric services that are offered at MUH. This move caused tension between the hospital management and senior doctors, who claimed the hospital was under-resourced and expressed concerns about women having to travel to Nowra, to deliver their babies.

Statistics

In figures published by the Australian Government's My Hospital website for the 2011-2012 financial year, Milton Ulladulla Hospital conducted 118 elective surgeries and handled 13,574 Emergency Department presentations. Waiting times in the emergency department were considerably shorter than the national average across all

triage In medicine, triage () is a practice invoked when acute care cannot be provided for lack of resources. The process rations care towards those who are most in need of immediate care, and who benefit most from it. More generally it refers to prio ...

classifications. Elective surgeries were not compared, but the median waiting time for urgent treatment was 6 days, with 97% completed within clinically recommended timeframes.

References

{{Authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1967 Hospitals in New South Wales City of Shoalhaven