A development application was submitted to Penrith City Council today for construction of a new childcare centre at Nepean Hospital to support staff with young families.
Somerset Cottage Childcare Centre is within the construction zone for Stage 1 of the Nepean Redevelopment and will be relocated to a new purpose-built facility on the northern edge of the hospital campus.
Penrith MP Stuart Ayres said that maintaining and enhancing childcare services at Nepean Hospital is an essential component of the hospital’s major expansion and upgrade.
“Supporting staff with young families is vital to ensure we can continue to attract and retain highly-skilled health professionals to Nepean Hospital,” he said.
“Heading back to work when you have young children is always challenging, and being able to offer high-quality childcare on campus really helps both financially and emotionally when re-entering the workforce.”
The new childcare centre, which will have capacity for 68 children, has been designed in close consultation with childcare staff and parents to ensure it is a secure, contemporary and welcoming space for children from zero to five years of age.
Construction of the new childcare service is scheduled to start in mid-2019 following development application approval.
Stage 1 of the Nepean Redevelopment includes:
• A new clinical services tower
• A new and expanded Emergency Department
• More than 12 new operating theatres
• 18 birthing suites in new accommodation, an increase of 10
• A new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• More than 200 overnight beds in new accommodation
• A new helipad
• New community health services
• Expansion of cancer services (a doubling of chemotherapy chairs from 15 – 30)
• A new multi-storey car park to support the expansion of services.
Construction on the new multi-storey car park and Nepean Cancer Care Centre expansion is already underway and scheduled for completion in 2019.
Construction of the new hospital tower will start in early 2019 and is scheduled for completion in 2021.
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