Lifeline for emergency departments from new health hub

The push to ease pressure on slammed emergency departments has prompted a state government to unveil plans for a new integrated health hub.

Giving patients alternatives to visiting a NSW hospital and somewhere they can receive holistic and preventative care gets more out of the health spend, supporters say.

The new Integrated Health Hub in the high-growth suburb of Wilton, in southwest Sydney, will be a one-stop-shop for for non-acute health care such as primary care, preventative care, and early intervention services, the government announced on Thursday.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said investing in hospital beds was only part of the government's plan, with money also flowing to providing more accessible community-based care.

While still in the early stages of planning and with a location yet to be found for the hub, it has been welcomed as one way of taking pressure off hospitals.

Tim Shaw, a health systems expert from the University of Sydney, said having a range of health services right down the hall from each other greatly improved care, particularly for vulnerable patients and those with chronic diseases.

"You don't want to have kind of daisy chain of referrals to multiple health professionals, that takes time," Professor Shaw told AAP.

"If you can bring those health professionals together, then that obviously significantly improves the efficiency of care, as well as the patient experience and potential outcomes of care as well.''

Health Services Union NSW branch secretary Gerard Hayes agreed, saying health hubs present the opportunity to leverage all the skills of the broader health workforce.

"If we are to really get the most of our health dollar, and that's what we should all be aiming for, initiatives such as this are critical," he said.

"It'll allow us to do more in terms of preventative health, which means that we really combat chronic and acute conditions before they end up in that state."

In selecting a site for the hub, the government will consider ease of access for the community including closeness to population centres, connectivity with commercial and retail centres, as well as public transport option and parking.