First look at new health service

The Cobar community is invited to view the design plans for the new co-located Health Service at community consultation meetings in Cobar on December 1 and 2.

Western NSW Local Health District Northern Sector General Manager Joy Adams said the redevelopment project is an opportunity to upgrade Cobar’s health facility, ensure its sustainability and ensure it meets the community’s needs into the future.

“The option to co-locate the Cobar Health Service and the Lilliane Brady Village, which has the residential aged care component, on one site was given resounding support from the community and staff at both the Cobar Health Service and Lilliane Brady Village who attended community meetings in late 2015,” Ms Adams said.

“This plan means the Lilliane Brady Village would remain in its current location, with additional residential aged care beds added and the potential to reconfigure the current bedrooms, and a new Cobar Health Service built to co-locate the two services.”

The co-location model aims to be of benefit to staff, residents, patients and all users, by physically co-locating all residential aged care beds, allowing ‘Ageing in Place’ and providing greater capacity for the increasing demand for residential aged care services.

Ms Adams said the redevelopment project for Cobar was unique, and as such the project team has been undertaking significant planning to address the complexities of the plan.

“The ‘work-in-progress’ designs for the building are now ready for public inspection, and we encourage the community to come along to the meetings to see the plans and what the redevelopment will look like,” she said.

Project team staff from Health Infrastructure and the Western NSW Local Health District will be at the community meetings and available to answer questions about the redevelopment project.

Ms Adams said the Western NSW Local Health District and Health Infrastructure will continue to work collaboratively with the Lilliane Brady Village and Cobar Shire Council on the redevelopment project.