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Description

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St Josephs Hospital is a 77 bed Public Hospital within Sydney West Area Health Service and a facility of the Sisters of Charity Health Service The Hospital has a proud tradition of over 100 years of providing quality health care in a compassionate and highly personalised atmosphere

Mission Statement
The mission of St Josephs Hospital is to extend Christs healing love by providing excellent health care in the areas of rehabilitation psychiatry for the aged palliative care and aged care services to work with unity of purpose respect for the dignity of all and to treat all with compassion and justice

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History

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On 2nd July 1886 St Josephs Hospital for consumptives was opened at Parramatta From that beginning we now have our present St Josephs Hospital

It had been at Parramatta in 1838 that the Sisters of Charity had commenced their mission in Australia by caring for women prisoners Twenty years later an early report of St Vincents Hospital which had commenced serving the poor of Sydney notes Consumption has been the most frequent disease presenting itself amongst the inpatients First Annual report of St Vincents 1857

In response to this prevalence of tuberculosis the previous convent of the Sisters of Charity at Parramatta became the location of St Josephs Hospital which was established as a branch of St Vincents

Following the closure of St Josephs Hospital at Parramatta in 1892 Duncraggon Hall at Auburn became its new location accommodating seven men on the ground floor and seven women on the upper floor Three years later St Josephs became independent of St Vincents

Demands on the service provided by St Josephs soon necessitated expansion Subsequently the blessing and opening by Cardinal Moran of a new hospital building took place on 23rd March 1903 and this became a medicalsurgical hospital By 1924 the bed capacity had increased from 27 to 76 with the opening of Casualty Outpatients and new Operating Theatres

By 1991 St Josephs Hospital was comprised of 94 beds including medicalsurgical and Accident and Emergency Centre as well as a 20 bed inpatient Palliative Care Unit and Day Hospital Later that year the Sydney West Area Health Service rationalised services in the Area and this effected a major role change for St Josephs

The Hospital now has 75 beds including medical and aged care rehabilitation palliative care psychiatry for the aged as well as day hospital outpatient facilities and an aged care assessment component The process of this change to sub acute services was completed with reorganisation of the hospitals management structure in 1994

St Josephs like all other Sisters of Charity facilities belongs to the Sisters of Charity Health Service Now incorporated as a company quotlimited by guaranteequot its management is the responsibility of the Facility Board through the Executive Director The Congregational Leader and Council is supported by the Sisters of Charity Health Service in exercising overall responsibility for our Health Services

As we reflect on the philosophy mission and values which inspired the Sisters and Staff of St Josephs in 1886 we recognise that many things have changed in the past 114 years yet our philosophy mission and values remain constant