The Shoalhaven Hospital Action Group (SHAG) held a public meeting at the Bomaderry Community Centre on Wednesday evening to highlight what it says is the need to relocate the hospital to a new greenfield site.

More than 50 people attended the meeting, where a host of speakers including GP Tim Bailey, residents Lou Casmiri and Bill Hancock along with Shoalhaven councillor and Parkinson's nurse Nina Digiglio spoke passionately about the need for a new hospital site, saying the proposed expansion would not meet future needs and Shoalhaven was failing "to get a bang for its buck".

However, ISLHD CEO Margot Mains said planning for the redevelopment of the current hospital site had been ongoing for "more than a decade".

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Ms Mains told the meeting a clinical services plan for the expansion had been completed, master planning for the site was continuing, with first works set to start this year.

She said as part of the long-term planning for the current site almost $65 million in upgrades had been undertaken, including the establishment of the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre ($31.3 million), a multi-level car park ($11.6m), sub acute mental health unit ($10m), emergency department refurbishment and endoscopy unit ($5m) and GP Superclinic ($7m) and it would be extremely expensive to relocate those facilities and other services which are already on the current site.

"We are very much planning for the current site," she said.

"We are continuing moving along. We have completed the clinical services plan, we are currently doing the master planning which will design what will actually happen the expansion and the layout of the building.

"We'll be continuing with that process."

She said the expanded site would provide a doubling of surgery, a doubling of theatres, "which is what we need now".

"There will be significantly more beds, a cardiology service, a stroke unit and increased ED, more outpatient spaces," she said.

"This is what we need and what our health professionals and clinicians need to operate at their best."