Priority maintenance and building issues at Calvary Mater Newcastle will be targeted under a new remediation program following an independent assessment of the hospital.
NSW Health will establish a taskforce to oversee the works, which will address water ingress, mould, ageing infrastructure and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems across the facility.
The building condition assessment began in March and examined the condition of physical assets, maintenance practices and asset management at the hospital.
Detailed site investigations were also carried out, including an audit of the hospital’s HVAC systems.
The findings will now guide priority rectification works, with a focus on reducing moisture and mould risks and addressing maintenance and building performance issues.
Minister for Health Ryan Park said the government had stepped in after ongoing concerns at the facility.
“The maintenance issues at Mater are the responsibility of Novacare, not Calvary,” Mr Park said.
“On the ground Calvary is just as frustrated with Novacare as everyone else.
“The Novacare PPP is complex and Novacare repeatedly failed to rectify multiple maintenance issues, racking up millions in abatements.”
The planned works will include addressing identified water ingress and moisture issues in priority clinical and support areas.
Mould remediation and environmental improvements will also be carried out, alongside targeted renewal of HVAC systems where investigations find they are contributing to moisture-related problems.
Priority safety, compliance and building defects identified through the assessment will also be addressed.
Deferred maintenance and infrastructure renewal works are expected to improve the long-term condition of the hospital.
Planning is now underway, with the program to be delivered in stages to minimise disruption to patients, staff and hospital operations.
The taskforce will consult with the Public Private Partnership parties, Calvary Health Care, hospital staff and relevant unions before plans for the works are finalised.
Mr Park said the government had already begun addressing issues at the hospital.
“Earlier this year, we formed the view that we could no longer wait for Novacare to act, and we stepped in to rectify the cladding and undertake cleaning – some of which has already been completed,” he said.
“We also undertook a building condition report to help identify more long-term structural issues which will help guide further rectification moving forward.”
Initial funding will come from the NSW Government’s $400 million Health Asset and Equipment Renewal program announced in the 2026-27 State Budget.
Discussions are continuing with the PPP parties to determine their contribution, however the government says necessary rectification works will not be delayed while those discussions take place.
Other infrastructure work is already underway at the Mater, including the staged replacement of non-compliant external cladding.
Some of the cladding work has been completed, with the remaining project expected to be finished by mid-2027.
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