Shellharbour Hospital is a major district hospital located in the

Shellharbour Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shellhar ...

area of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. It is part of the Southern network of the

South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service (SESIAHS) was formed in 2005 from the amalgamation of the Illawarra Area Health Service and South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service. It was disbanded on 1 January 2011 as part of the Nationa ...

, and receives students from the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

and

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...

Services

Shellharbour Hospital provides medical, surgical,

obstetric Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgic ...

, emergency and

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

services to the Shoalhaven and northern

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

region, operating 87 beds and a 8-bed Day Surgery unit and 69 mental health in-patient beds. It also operates a satellite

dialysis Dialysis may refer to: *Dialysis (chemistry), a process of separating molecules in solution **Electrodialysis, used to transport salt ions from one solution to another through an ion-exchange membrane under the influence of an applied electric pote ...

unit, and is also a leading provider of

gynaecological Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

and

laparoscopic surgery Laparoscopy () is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis using small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm) with the aid of a camera. The laparoscope aids diagnosis or therapeutic interventions with a few small cuts in the abdomen.Medl ...

in the Southern region. In the year 2006-7 there were over 15,000 admissions provided by 273 full-time equivalent staff. A new 20-bed

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

unit intended as a step-down service that provides rehabilitation for patients discharged from acute care services is currently under construction. Also being built is an adolescent mental health unit. The centre for referral of complex cases from Shellharbour is

Wollongong Hospital Wollongong Hospital is the major tertiary referral hospital located in the Wollongong Metropolitan area, New South Wales, Australia. It provides services to the entire Illawarra and Shoalhaven Region, encompassing population of approximately 35 ...

. The hospital receives students from the University of New South Wales, and in 2008 a formal agreement was signed with the University of Wollongong graduate medical school.

History

Shellharbour Hospital opened in 1986 by

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of ...

, after many years of lobbying and at a cost of A$22 million. The hospital provided medical and surgical services, and

paediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

and maternity services were transferred to it from nearby

Port Kembla Hospital A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

. As the population of the area grew, the volume of services provided steadily increased and placed pressure on hospital services; in 2006, physician Chris Dunn said the hospital was under-resourced and there was a "staffing crisis." In 2007 the

Royal Australasian College of Physicians The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is a not-for-profit professional organisation responsible for training and educating physicians and paediatricians across Australia and New Zealand. The RACP is responsible for training both ...

(RACP) revoked the hospital's accreditation for employing and teaching basic physician trainees due to inadequate supervision, as there were not enough senior staff employed. The hospital submitted a request to regain its status in 2008, and the RACP restored its training role for 12 months. 2008 also saw the opening of a new home birthing service and family care centre. The South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service has proposed to consolidate surgical services from nearby

Bulli Hospital Bulli may refer to: * Bulli, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Wollongong ** Bulli FC, a semi-professional football club ** Bulli railway station ** Electoral district of Bulli * Bulli (plant), a species of tree in the family Asteraceae * ...

to Shellharbour from 2009.

Notes

External links

Shellharbour Hospital Website
{{Authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1986 Hospitals in New South Wales City of Shellharbour Wollongong Hospitals established in 1986 1986 establishments in Australia

Services

History

See also

Notes

External links