$492m pathology hub coming to Westmead Health Precinct

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Health Ryan Park have announced that the 2025–26 state Budget will deliver a new $492 million NSW Health Pathology Statewide Hub to Westmead Health Precinct, as part of the government’s plan to improve essential health services for the people of NSW.

Minns and Park noted that the current Westmead laboratory, which conducts 3.5 million pathology-related tests per year, has had minimal refurbishment since it was originally built in 1978 and is clearly no longer fit for purpose. The government funding will enable new and enhanced pathology services at the precinct, including a new build for Westmead’s Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR).

The 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, allowing the hub to take advantage of new and emerging technologies as well as best practice models of pathology service delivery. It will also include an upgrade to the high-security PC4 biocontainment laboratory — the only one in NSW — which is used to test, isolate and research high-risk infectious diseases that have the potential to be a major infection threat to the wider community.

“The Statewide Hub will be designed to enhance future-ready diagnostic services, bolster our public health response and pandemic preparedness, and advance cutting-edge medical research and training,” said NSW Health Pathology Chief Executive Vanessa Janissen.

“It provides the opportunity to capitalise on rapid advancements in new and emerging technology for this site and across our other laboratories as we continue to work as an integrated network of laboratories.”

Enhancing the speed and accuracy of diagnosis for cancer patients with cutting-edge digital technology, the hub is set to enable precision medicine at scale for NSW and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge genomics sequencing capabilities. It will also enhance NSW Health Pathology’s research and innovation capabilities, supporting vital testing for access to clinical trials and partnerships in translational research with Local Health Districts and universities.

“It will harness the power of automation and robotics providing 10,000 critical clinical results every day to medical teams, ensuring they have fast access to quality diagnostic information to inform timely treatment of patients,” said Professor David Brown, NSW Health Pathology’s Director of ICPMR Westmead.

The hub will also link with other regional centres across the state, including Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Tamworth and Lismore, servicing the more complex needs of regional and rural local health districts and providing education, training and research support. These capabilities rely on the ability to provide urgent services and additional testing, which are vital to supporting the high demands of large emergency departments.

“Since being elected we have been focused on improving health services and building hospitals which meet the needs of some of our most rapidly growing communities,” Park said.

“We know there’s more to do, with demand on pathology services expected to increase with population growth and an ever-increasing aging population, which is why we’re making this half-a-billion-dollar investment at Westmead.

“This budget delivers on this challenging but important work to rebuild essential health services.”

Image caption: NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Health Ryan Park at Westmead.