Shellharbour Hospital

{{Infobox hospital

| Name = Shellharbour Hospital

| Org/Group = South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service

| Image =

| Caption =

| Logo =

| Location = Mount Warrigal

| State = NSW

| Country = Australia

| Coordinates = {{coord|34|33.5|S|150|50.5|E|display=inline,title|region:AU-NSW_type:landmark}}

| HealthCare = Medicare

| Type = District

| Speciality = Gynaecology, psychiatry

| Standards =

| Emergency = Yes

| Affiliation= University of New South Wales, University of Wollongong

| Beds = 80

| Founded = 1986

| Closed =

| Website ={{url|sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au/Shellharbour_Hospital}}

| Wiki-Links =

|}}

Shellharbour Hospital is a major district hospital located in the Shellharbour area of New South Wales. It is part of the Southern network of the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service, and receives students from the University of New South Wales and University of Wollongong.

Services

Shellharbour Hospital provides medical, surgical, obstetric, emergency and psychiatry services to the Shoalhaven and northern Illawarra region, operating 87 beds and a 8-bed Day Surgery unit and 69 mental health in-patient beds.{{Cite web | last = East Coast Medical Network| title = East Coast Medical Network 2007| url=http://www7.health.nsw.gov.au/healthjobs/PDFDL/Network_EastCoast_BPT.pdf | accessdate = 25 April 2008 }} It also operates a satellite dialysis unit, and is also a leading provider of gynaecological and laparoscopic surgery in the Southern region. In the year 2006-7 there were over 15,000 admissions provided by 273 full-time equivalent staff.{{Cite web | last = South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service| title = Annual Report 2006-7| url=http://www.sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au/Publications/Annual_Reports/Documents/Health_services.pdf | accessdate = 25 April 2008 }}

A new 20-bed mental health unit intended as a step-down service that provides rehabilitation for patients discharged from acute care services is currently under construction.{{cite news

| title = Work begins on Shellharbour Hospital mental health unit

| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/05/23/1931051.htm

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081002055809/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/05/23/1931051.htm

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 2 October 2008

| publisher = ABC

| date = 23 May 2007

| accessdate = 24 April 2008

}} Also being built is an adolescent mental health unit. The centre for referral of complex cases from Shellharbour is Wollongong Hospital. The hospital receives students from the University of New South Wales,{{Cite web | last = UNSW| title = Handbook| date = September 2006| url=http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/faculties/2007/med/ClinLearnEnvUG.html | accessdate = 25 April 2008 }} and in 2008 a formal agreement was signed with the University of Wollongong graduate medical school.{{cite news

| title = Accreditation not linked to patient care: Meagher

| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/06/2155652.htm

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080302171753/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/06/2155652.htm

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 2 March 2008

| publisher = ABC

| date = 6 February 2008

| accessdate = 24 April 2008

}}

History

Shellharbour Hospital opened in 1986 by Neville Wran, after many years of lobbying and at a cost of A$22 million.{{cite news

| first = Simone

| last = Rosamond

| title = Not so happy 21 years

| publisher = Illawarra Mercury

| date = 1 September 2007

}} The hospital provided medical and surgical services, and paediatric and maternity services were transferred to it from nearby Port Kembla Hospital.{{cite news

| first = Courtney

| last = Trenwith

| title = Fond memories for nurses

| publisher = Illawarra Mercury

| date = 11 May 2007

}} 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."{{cite news

| first = Gabriel

| last = Dunlevy

| title = Shellharbour hospital's many unhappy returns

| publisher = Illawarra Mercury

| date = 2 September 2006

}}

In 2007 the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (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,{{cite news

| title = Shellharbour Hospital may get teaching accreditation reinstated

| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/13/2188242.htm

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081002055845/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/13/2188242.htm

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 2 October 2008

| publisher = ABC

| date = 13 March 2008

| accessdate = 24 April 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.{{cite news

| title = Shellharbour Hospital gets new home birth service

| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/13/2273925.htm

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081002055855/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/13/2273925.htm

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 2 October 2008

| publisher = ABC

| date = 13 June 2008

| accessdate = 3 August 2008

}} The South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service has proposed to consolidate surgical services from nearby Bulli Hospital to Shellharbour from 2009.{{cite news

| title = Della Bosca asked to explain surgery closure

| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/27/2402265.htm

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081030025950/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/27/2402265.htm

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 30 October 2008

| publisher = ABC

| date = 27 October 2008

| accessdate = 27 October 2008

}}