A new accommodation development behind the Cowra Hospital redevelopment is set to provide dedicated housing for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals as efforts continue to attract and retain healthcare workers in the region.

Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) has confirmed early works are underway on a more than $3 million Key Health Worker Accommodation project adjacent to the new hospital.

The development will deliver eight purpose-built, single-bedroom units for essential healthcare staff working at Cowra Hospital, providing accommodation that can be used for both short and long-term needs.

A WNSWLHD spokesperson said access to suitable housing was an important part of building and maintaining the local health workforce.

“The provision of safe and sustainable housing is a key aspect of Western NSW Local Health District’s plans to support, build and maintain a highly-skilled workforce, including at Cowra,” the spokesperson said.

“The District is leading delivery of a $3 million-plus Key Health Worker Accommodation project adjacent to the Cowra Hospital Redevelopment, and has recently progressed planning and development activities.”

Work is already beginning to take shape at the site, with bulk excavation and earthmoving underway to prepare the land for construction.

However, a construction start date has not yet been confirmed.

WNSWLHD said the tender process to appoint the main works contractor remained ongoing and was expected to be completed in the near future, with the construction timeline to be determined through that process.

“Early works are underway including bulk excavation and earthmoving to prepare the site for construction, which will be undertaken after the award of the main works contract,” the spokesperson said.

“The tender process to appoint a main works contractor is ongoing and expected to be complete in the near future.”

The accommodation project will sit alongside the new Cowra Hospital, which is being delivered through the $110.2 million Cowra Hospital Redevelopment.

The project is expected to provide a new hospital on the existing site, including an emergency department, general medical and surgery inpatient beds, a peri operative service, maternity unit, ambulatory care and renal dialysis.

The health worker accommodation represents a separate investment aimed at addressing another challenge facing regional healthcare, ensuring workers have somewhere suitable to live when they come to Cowra.

“The project includes eight purpose-built, single-bed units, which will support essential staff working at the new Cowra Hospital, such as doctors, nurses or allied health professionals,” the WNSWLHD spokesperson said.

“The units will offer safe, modern and convenient accommodation to meet short or long-term needs of healthcare workers, in turn supporting the delivery of high-quality care.”

Housing availability has become an increasingly important consideration in attracting essential workers to regional communities, with the NSW Government's broader Key Health Worker Accommodation program designed to increase housing options for healthcare workers in rural and regional NSW.

For Cowra, the eight new units will provide accommodation immediately adjacent to the workplace, potentially removing some of the housing and travel pressures faced by staff relocating to or temporarily working in the community.

WNSWLHD said those pressures could directly affect the ability of rural communities to recruit and retain healthcare professionals.

“By easing travel, cost of living and housing pressures, Key Health Worker Accommodation supports the recruitment and retention of staff, particularly in rural and remote areas,” the spokesperson said.

Cowra is also part of a wider rollout of dedicated health worker housing across the Western NSW Local Health District.

More than a dozen accommodation projects are either underway or have been completed across the district, with projects in communities including Baradine, Bathurst, Collarenebri, Condobolin, Dubbo, Mudgee, Orange, Narromine, Walgett and Warren.

The Cowra development will ultimately add eight dedicated units to that network at the same time as the town transitions to its new hospital.

While the main construction timetable will not be known until the contractor appointment process is completed, preparation of the site means work towards the new accommodation is already underway.

For WNSWLHD, the investment is intended to ensure the redevelopment of Cowra's health infrastructure is accompanied by support for the workforce needed to operate it.

“The provision of safe and sustainable housing is a key aspect” of supporting and maintaining that workforce, the spokesperson said.