A new integrated $50 million specialist centre funded under the 2021-22 NSW Budget will improve the care and treatment of children from across the State with severe and complex neurological disorders.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced the $50 million Neurosciences Comprehensive Care and Research Centre will be located at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.
“This $50 million investment will bring together in one central location a range of clinical specialties and services, including comprehensive care for developmental and nervous system disorders involving the brain, spinal cord, muscles and nerves,” Mr Perrottet said.
Minister Hazzard explained the importance of this integrated comprehensive service for the children of New South Wales. “The Centre will offer an extraordinary environment to foster collaboration and improve access to clinical trials, referral navigation, early diagnosis and treatment options improving the outcomes for children with neurological disorders,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Diagnosis and treatment of infants and children with these rare diseases is extremely difficult, often requiring various tests and imaging, so an integrated specialist centre will make a huge difference to these children and of course their families,” Mr Hazzard said.
Almost 1.2 million Australians, 400,000 of them children, are affected by approximately 8,000 known rare diseases. Unfortunately, 30 per cent of affected children will die before they reach the age of five.
The new Centre will be incorporated into the previously announced Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage 1 and Children's Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
The new integrated Centre will treat children with a range of illnesses, including:
The Randwick Campus Redevelopment team is working with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Children’s Cancer Institute and UNSW Sydney to plan and design Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage 1 and Australia’s first Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Bounded by Hospital Road, High Street and Botany Street, the redevelopment will connect with UNSW’s Health Translation Hub to bring the Randwick Hospitals Campus and UNSW Kensington Campus closer together, forming an integrated Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct.
The co-location of paediatric healthcare, education and research environments will accelerate learning discoveries, engage clinical innovation with bedside care and meet the complex health needs of Sydney’s growing population with a future ready workforce.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to transform paediatric services and the next exciting phase of the broader Randwick Campus Redevelopment.
The project is undertaking the final design phase, known as Detailed Design. Similar to the previous design phases, the Project team will continue to collaborate in the co-design process with staff from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and the Children’s Cancer Institute, patients, families, and the community to design a world-class facility that meets the community’s needs and into the future.
The Detailed Design phase builds on the work undertaken during the Concept and Schematic design phases, including room and ward layouts, final decisions on room specifications, as well as coordination of technology, furniture, fixtures and equipment for different areas of the new Sydney Children's Hospital Stage 1 and Children's Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
The Environmental Impact Statement for the Sydney Children's Hospital Stage 1 and Children's Comprehensive Cancer Centre can be viewed on the NSW Government Major Projects planning portal
Find out more about all projects underway for the Randwick Campus Redevelopment
The new children’s hospital and Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre, combined with innovative approaches to research and healthcare are set to transform the patient, carer and family experience.