The NSW Government’s 2025-26 Budget will deliver a new $492 million NSW Health Pathology Statewide Hub as part of a plan to improve essential health services for the people of the state.
Premier, Chris Minns said the investment will be essential for the delivery of new and enhanced pathology services on the Westmead Health Precinct, including a new build for the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR).
It will also include an upgrade to the high security PC4 biocontainment laboratory – the only one in NSW. This lab is used to test, isolate and research high risk infectious diseases that has the potential to be a major infection threat to the wider community.
“Since coming to government, we’ve been focused on delivering the essential health infrastructure that communities across NSW need and deserve,” said Mr Minns.
“We know there’s more to do, but this new pathology hub is another step in rebuilding our health system after more than a decade of delay and neglect.
“It’s about ensuring our clinicians have the tools and technology they need to provide world-class care.”
Demand on pathology services is only expected to increase with population growth and an increase in our ageing population, the Premier said.
“In NSW alone, there are more than 100,000 clinical and scientific investigations undertaken each day, with 70% of medical decisions relying on pathology investigations and results,” he said.
The Westmead laboratory alone conducts 3.5 million pathology related tests per year. Built in 1978, the Laboratory has had minimal refurbishment since and is no longer fit for purpose.
The new and upgraded statewide pathology hub will support the delivery of local and statewide clinical pathology, public health, medical research, and specialised support services on the Westmead campus.
This will allow the hub to take advantage of new and emerging technologies and innovation and best practice models of specialist pathology service delivery, said the Premier.
“This means a major referral hospital like Westmead will continue to have a state of the art on-site lab to assist in the provision of the highest standard of specialist care by enabling close collaboration between pathologists and treating clinicians,” he said.
Once finished, the current laboratory will be retained for future growth to be determined by NSW Health and WSLHD.
The hub will also continue to link with other regional centres, including Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Tamworth, and Lismore, across the state, servicing the more complex needs of regional and rural local health districts and providing education, training and research support.
“The critical importance of our pathology services at Westmead became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when, for a time, all positive COVID-19 tests were directed to Westmead from both public and private pathology labs for genomic and serology testing,” said Member for Parramatta, Donna Davis.
“This rapid increase in demand during the pandemic revealed just how vital it is to have a service available with surge capacity and space for new technology to respond to emerging health challenges,” she said.
