Money to boost Griffith Base Hospital staffing announced

The Minns government announced a $274 million boost to the 'Essential Health Services Fund' to boost staffing at new or upgraded hospitals across the state, with an extra 250 workers across the state - including in the new hospital.

Hospitals receiving a share of the boost will include Griffith Base Hospital as well as Bowral, Sutherland, Wentworth, Cowra, Cooma, Glen Innes and the Tweed Hospital. The exact amount that each hospital will receive has not yet been announced.

LHAC chairwoman Margaret King said she was pleased to hear of the efforts as the opening of the new hospital gets closer.

"Any increase to staffing here or anywhere is an absolutely fantastic thing. The issue continues to lie with attracting the staff, and that's always going to be a challenge," she said.

"Given that we've got a brand new hospital that will be up and running in a matter of months ... if that's not a big incentive in your favour, then I don't know what is."

She added that efforts to up recruitment had started bearing fruit, with a recent overseas trip bringing staff from far away out to Griffith.

"There's critical shortages across the board, but we're starting to see the fruits of the MLHD staff trip overseas ... staff from England and Ireland are coming over on permanent visas," she said.

"There are shortages in some areas but that doesn't mean that the services are not filled and that patients don't receive the best care."

The money will be part of an ongoing effort to improve NSW's healthcare workforce by making more nurses permanent, hiring an extra 500 paramedics for regional areas and abolishing the wage cap.

Minister for Health Ryan Park said that they were aiming to eliminate 'ghost hospitals.'

"We can't risk the situation left to us by the previous Government of 'ghost hospitals' where funding was allocated for the bricks and mortar but not the additional health workers, nurses and doctors to operationalise services," he said.

"We need a fully staffed healthcare system that is responsive and well-resourced, because when we back in our health workers, we improve patient outcomes, and that's exactly what we're doing."