New John Hunter facade revealed, but where are the missing millions?

The $835 million construction project - known as the John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct - will increase the capacity of the hospital.

However, much more money is needed for the project's second stage, which will determine how many more beds and services the hospital will have.

In 2019, stage two was estimated to cost $800 million.

The hospital has been under immense pressure since the pandemic, with quarterly data repeatedly showing big challenges for the emergency department and elective surgery.

The Newcastle Herald reported in July that surgeons at the hospital had been told to admit patients only with "threat of limb or life loss", amid an extreme bed shortage.

Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said "healthcare isn't something you can kick down the road".

"The Hunter needs world-class care and it needs it now - not in five or ten years' time," Ms Catley said.

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said the John Hunter project would include "more beds" and "enhanced services".

However, his government is yet to commit the extra funding needed for this.

The federal government is negotiating with the states over the next five-year hospital funding deal.

State leaders have demanded that the Albanese government provide billions of dollars more in promised hospital funding.

While the building facade for the new John Hunter Hospital is complete, work is "progressing on the interior fit-out and landscaping".

The new acute services building has four bridges, connecting the existing hospital and Hunter Medical Research Institute.

Two large, elevated gardens spanning more than 2600 square metres - about half the size of a soccer field - sit between both buildings.

The project includes a new emergency department to meet a projected future demand of more than 95,000 presentations each year.

Additionally, it will include 22 operating theatres and "nine interventional suites to respond to significantly increasing demand for surgical services".

Other features include new birthing suites, inpatient maternity, neonatal ICU and more than 900 additional car parking spaces for patients, staff and visitors.

The expanded hospital is planned to include "a 60 per cent increase in intensive care unit capacity and almost 50 per cent more theatres".

Construction of the new building is expected to be completed in 2026.

This will be followed by "an operational commissioning period to ensure the new building and staff are ready to welcome patients".

The Newcastle Herald reported in September that elective surgeries at John Hunter had fallen by 27 per cent over the past decade.

Over this same period, the region's population grew by about 14 per cent.

Health data showed 8934 elective surgeries were done at the hospital in 2015, compared to 6508 in 2024.