NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard toured the new healthcare facility at Green Square.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard toured the new RPA HealthOne at Green Square, which has reached a significant milestone with the structure of the building now complete.

The purpose-built HealthOne will deliver a range of services focused on early intervention, health promotion and disease prevention, including services that would traditionally be provided within a hospital setting at RPA - making it easier for residents to access health care services.

“HealthOne will enable physicians, clinicians, medical staff, allied health staff and support staff to provide those services for a range of conditions for example, for diabetes and chronic cardiac issues,” Mr Hazzard said.

“It will enable patients to be in a friendly environment, a local environment which many of them will be able to walk to and be able to have a connection with clinicians who have come into the facility,” Mr Hazzard said.

Mr Hazzard was joined by Sydney Local Health District’s Executive Director of Clinical Services Integration and Population Health Lou-Anne Blunden and Health Infrastructure Project Director Michael Brooks.

Throughout the project, the District has consulted with the community about the health care services they would like to access at RPA HealthOne.

These services include diabetes, cardiology and gastro and liver clinics as well as community health services such as child and family health.

The District is also exploring opportunities to provide mental health services as well as new ways to deliver health care, including virtual care.

RPA HealthOne will be linked to the specialist clinical services at RPA significantly enhancing access to services for the community.

“It’s going to integrate with those services at RPA very closely, bringing the clinical specialists on site but also virtually linking to services and saving people from travelling so that they can get their services locally,” Ms Blunden said.

The two-storey building features a range of consultation, treatment, and meeting rooms and a gym for patient therapy.

And Aboriginal art and Aboriginal room naming will be incorporated into the building following consultation with the District’s Aboriginal Health Team.

The District’s partnerships – with The Sydney University, the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN) and the local community – will be key to the success of RPA HealthOne.

The collaboration will enable the District to better support primary health practitioners in the local area to translate the latest clinical research and to deliver the best possible care for patients.

“We’re going to have a Primary Care Academic Unit which is going to emphasise new models of care, new ways of doing things, with the outcome being improved health for the people of this community,” Ms Blunden said.

Mr Brooks thanked the project team for its work.

“Delivering a project like this is a journey. We’ve had a great partnership with project managers SJA and [builder] Lipman... they’ve been doing a fantastic job delivering this project,” he said.

RPA HealthOne is expected to open in 2023. It’s located at 944 Bourke Street, Zetland, close to the Green Square train station.

The NSW Government is investing $20 million in the RPA HealthOne, as part of its $100 million HealthOne program across the state.

A $750 million redevelopment of RPA has also begun and will deliver new and upgraded facilities to enhance existing services, support the creation of new services and expand future capacity.