Quirindi Hospital unveils two new housing units for temporary health workers on short term contracts

On Tuesday, the Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor and Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson, along with council and Hunter New England Health (HNEH) representatives opened two new sustainable accommodation units at Quirindi Hospital.

The two units are the 21^st and 22^nd to be constructed in hospitals across New England using funding from the state government's Regional Housing Package.

"When it comes to the recruitment and retention of nursing staff to our regional hospitals ... they [health staff] want to know they've got good accommodation. This provides the confidence and surety that they'll be looked after when they get there," Mr Anderson said.

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The pods are designed for visiting nurses on short term contracts but Ms Taylor hopes they'll entice more health workers to consider working in regional NSW.

"It's a multi-pronged approach, not just one solution. One [solution] is housing. What these pods mean is that if you're living in the city and you're thinking about an incentive package to go rural or regional, we're also going to provide you with some really lovely housing," she said.

Health worker shortages are a major issue across regional Australia and addressing health worker accommodation is a particular focus for HNEH.

The temporary accommodation will also be available to staff who are in the process of permanently relocating to Quirindi while they secure local housing.

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