Established in 1988 under the Area Health Services Act of 1986, the South Western Sydney Area Health Service (SWAHS) strives to provide excellent standards in health and service for all residents in the Bankstown, Camden / Wollondilly, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Liverpool and Wingecarribee areas. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 1994 estimates, that represents a population of just over 700,000. We serve a community with a large number of young people with expanding families.

   There are several hospitals within the SWSAHS, providing a variety of services. Liverpool Hospital is the tertiary referral centre and the main teaching hospital (see Clinical School). It is currently undergoing a major expansion involving capital works worth approximately $200,000,000. In addition to inpatient wards, new operating theatres, intensive care units, interventional cardiology suites and emergency facilities are included.

   In the 1994/95 financial year we had 33,888 admissions while our outpatient services handled 341,301 presentations. 11,701 surgical procedures were performed on the inpatient population and 1,208 on the outpatients. It took 1,364 staff members to provide this service. These numbers will be greatly expanded on completion of the capital works programme later this year.

   All potentially severe trauma victims within the SWAHS are routinely transported directly to Liverpool Hospital, bypassing other Area hospitals. We also accept tertiary care referrals from rural hospitals throughout NSW. With over 1,600 trauma admissions per year direct to Liverpool Hospital and an additional 2,400 to the rest of the Area Health Service, we are one of the busiest trauma groups in Australia. (Find out more about the staff at the Department of Trauma Services).

   To see what Liverpool Hospital looks like, check out our photographic tour.

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