Hawkesbury District Hospital’s first year with NSW Health shows strong results
Managing a hospital is no mean feat but transitioning from a public-private partnership to sole public management, that’s an even greater challenge, one that Hawkesbury District Hospital (HDH) knows all too well.
It was just over a year ago when Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) assumed full responsibility for operating Hawkesbury’s largest healthcare service. After decades in private hands the move to the NSW Health public health system was a significant accomplishment, one that General Manager for HDH, Bethany Pade describes as both challenging and rewarding.
“It has been an incredible period of time,” Bethany recalls. “The teams at the hospital were navigating sustained and ongoing change. The private system operates very differently to the public, so it was quite a culture shift. But the staff were absolute champions throughout.”
From the outset the hospital set clear performance standards and staff rallied behind them.
Bethany proudly shared, “not once during this transition did anyone waver in our mission to provide those who walked through our doors world-class compassionate healthcare.”
That commitment is now reflected in the numbers.
The Bureau of Health Information’s latest Healthcare Quarterly report shows strong performance improvements for the Hospital across several key areas including emergency department activity and elective surgery.
In the April to June 2025 quarter, HDH recorded significant improvement in emergency treatment start times compared to the same period last year. Triage Category 2 (emergency) patients were seen a median time of 7 minutes faster (an increase of 23.9 percentage points), and Triage Category 3 (urgent) patients improved by a median time of 8 minutes (an increase 15.7 percentage points).
Elective surgery activity also saw a sharp rise, with 572 surgeries performed, an increase of 26.3% compared to the previous year. This increase in activity also helped the District maintain its ‘Triple Zero’ status (meaning patients have their elective surgery within the required timeframe), for a second consecutive year.
“The staff are the heart of any hospital and we really have a particularly dedicated team here, people who know the local community, live in it and care deeply about it. I’m incredibly proud to lead them and of what they’ve achieved. Seeing the positive results for patients from all the efforts over the last year makes me even more confident that the best is yet to come.”
Now the second-largest hospital in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Hawkesbury District Hospital continues to grow in capability and reputation, focused on delivering high-quality, trusted care to the Hawkesbury community.