The new Shellharbour Hospital, at $780 million, drew harsh community criticism. Most doctors would say it should have a helipad, something most medical professionals view as a must-have. Dr Trevor Gardner, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District anaesthetist and airborne infection control expert, has written serious concerns about this scary omission. He thinks it might be the most consequential change for public health. He notes that a helicopter co-located within the helistop is typical for hospitals, particularly those that serve as regional hubs for time-sensitive, critical medical transfers.
This week, the debate surrounding the absence of a helipad intensified when independent Kiama MP Gareth Ward introduced the Health Services Amendment (Hospital Helipads) Bill 2025. The bill inspired vehement discussions in Parliament. Specifically, it highlighted the devastating impact of not having immediate air transport access at the new facility.
Medical Professionals Raise Concerns
As well as being an anaesthetist, Dr Gardner is a medical transport specialist with CareFlight in the NT. He has been a planner and participant of military medical retrieval missions since 1993. Now, he contends that new hospital’s design falls woefully short of the standards required to provide quality emergency and trauma care.
“Speaking personally as somebody with skin in the game — having worked as the director of trauma, still flying retrieval, having flown patients out and received them — you must build a helipad if you build a new hospital,” – Dr. Trevor Gardner
As he puts it, when seconds count, you can’t wait minutes. Infrequent severe weather events often lead to the need for helicopters to respond and transport these patients, quickly providing the lifesaving care they need.
“What you don’t want to do is to have to wheel incredibly sick people out of the emergency department into an ambulance, drive them 500 meters or 5 kilometres down the road to a park or a local airport and then have to transfer them back again into the helicopter,” – Dr. Gardner
Dr. Gardner’s remarks underscore the critical nature of having a helipad within close proximity to medical facilities to streamline patient care.
Political Reactions and Legislative Response
The recent parliamentary floor debate on the helipad has exposed a sharp contrast in views regarding its need and usefulness. Labor MP for Shellharbour, Anna Watson, says the design still allows room for a future helipad. She advocates for it to be allowed “if and when clinical needs can justify it.” She slammed the legislation as desperately trying to scare constituents into believing their hospitals would no longer be able to handle caring for patients.
Kobi Shetty, another Greens MP, raised concerns about a lack of long-term vision in health infrastructure planning. He noted the lack of transparency in this often arbitrary decision-making process and its failure to heed clinical guidance.
“It is a broken, opaque and sometimes politicised health infrastructure planning process that continues to ignore clinical advice, suppress data transparency and frustrate community trust,” – Kobi Shetty
The political discourse around the hospital’s design has ignited passions among various stakeholders, each advocating for what they believe is best for community health outcomes.
Cost vs. Care: A Balancing Act
The devil is in the details, and yes, the money matters too — a lot. Michael Holland, Parliamentary Secretary for Health, heroically resisted building a helipad nobody would use. He suggested the money would be better spent on something else.
“For the cost of a helipad that may not even be used, we could fund 10 full-time ICU nurses for a year,” – Michael Holland
Health Minister Ryan Park said there was a pressing need for properly staffed emergency services. He continued, “Especially in emergency medical situations, every second and every minute counts.”
The battle continues to this day. Although the Shellharbour Hospital’s design may be flexible enough for future adaptations, stakeholders are divided on whether it adequately addresses the present-day healthcare needs of the community.
