The Minns Labor Government will establish NSW’s first High Volume Planned Surgery Centre at Northern Beaches Hospital, expanding the hospital’s role and helping reduce surgery wait times across the state.
From 1 July, up to an extra 5,000 surgeries will be performed at the hospital each year through the newly established Planned Surgery Centre.
It will focus on high-demand specialties such as ophthalmology, orthopaedics, ear, nose and throat (ENT), general surgery and gynaecology, to help reduce surgical wait lists while easing demand on hospitals across the state and giving patients more choices in their care.
“By adding a high-volume planned surgery centre, we’re increasing capacity across the whole system, reducing wait times and easing pressure on busy public hospitals,” said Premier Chris Minns. “This will improve access to healthcare by speeding up planned surgeries across the state.”
Patients will be referred to the Planned Surgery Hub from some of the busiest areas across NSW, including Western Sydney, the Central Coast and the Illawarra.
Patients can be directly referred to the Centre by their treating specialist if they are accredited to work at Northern Beaches Hospital or can choose to be transferred from a waitlist at their ‘home’ facility.
Information on how to be referred to the NBH will be released ahead of the Centre’s opening.
The new Planned Surgery Centre builds on the State Government’s decision to return Northern Beaches Hospital to public ownership later this year. “We’ve brought Northern Beaches Hospital back into public hands, and now we’re expanding the services it can deliver for patients right across NSW,” Premier Minns added.
The hospital will come under the management of Northern Sydney Local Health District and part of NSW Health by mid-2026.
