NSW Health has acknowledged Ballina District Hospital will eventually need to relocate — but says there are still “no current plans for a new hospital.”

The admission comes after State Health Minister Ryan Park was put on the spot during a recent visit to Lismore. In an interview with ABC North Coast, the Minister appeared caught off guard and unable to provide a clear answer about Ballina’s future.

In a statement this week, Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) Chief Executive Tracey Maisey said the district’s top priority is “the safety and care of all our patients” and that redeveloping Ballina District Hospital has been a priority item in its Capital Investment Plan for several years.

This work, she said, was informed by a Clinical Services Plan developed with the Ballina Community Advisory Group, supported by NSW Government funding and an independent flood risk study.

“That study confirmed what the community would expect — that flood risk would make it extremely challenging to develop a new facility on the current site, particularly given the recently implemented Probable Maximum Flood Limits which all critical infrastructure projects must now consider,” Ms Maisey said.

She said NNSWLHD is seeking to refresh the plan to reflect changing demographics and flooding considerations, and any further work would again involve local stakeholders.

Ms Maisey also noted that Ballina District Hospital is part of a networked hospital system, allowing patients to be transferred or redirected as needed to receive the most appropriate care.

The statement follows Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader’s calls for urgent action, first reported by Ballina News Daily last month, urging the NSW Government to secure a flood-safe greenfield site now before land earmarked for health use is lost to residential development.

“The current hospital can’t be expanded due to flood risk and the Government has acknowledged that,” she said. “So let’s stop stalling. Secure the land now before it’s gone.”

The Mayor also praised the extraordinary work of the Ballina Hospital Ladies Auxiliary, which has raised nearly $200,000 to fund “basic equipment that city hospitals would take for granted” — including a bed mover, wheelchairs and an ice machine.

“You can’t run a modern hospital on bake sales forever,” she said.

Community Concerns

Public reaction to Ballina News Daily’s coverage has been swift.

Lynette Poole shared the story of her 78-year-old sister — a former Hospital Auxiliary president — who endured long delays and was shuttled between Ballina and Lismore in her final days.

“No funds for palliative care, no palliative doctor, no beds. I haven’t been able to grieve because of the way she suffered,” she said, while praising local nurses and a volunteer she called “our angel.”

John Cobby described waiting six hours in a public area with an infectious wound after being discharged from Lismore Base Hospital, saying he was refused the option of going home and returning when ready to be seen.

‘Tracey’ said she avoids the hospital whenever possible.

“Most days they don’t even have a doctor there at night. I waited 25 minutes just to have my three-year-old triaged when she was short of breath.”

With NSW Health now conceding the current site is unsuitable for redevelopment, the question remains: how long before a new location is secured — and how long can the community wait?