Housing 'pods' to tackle regional health staff shortage

The focus of the $45 million accommodation program will be speed rather than detailed design as the short-term housing is rolled out, the state's health minister says.

The first of the 51 units could be ready within months to be rolled out across far-western NSW, southern NSW and the Murrumbidgee region.

Health Minister Ryan Park said recruitment was one of the biggest challenges facing regional, rural and remote health services.

He cautioned the accommodation would not be a permanent arrangement and most workers would use it for a few months before moving into private housing.

"We don't want them in there for months and months on end ... what it is aimed to do is land them, get them settled in the community," Mr Park said on Thursday.

Off-site prototypes of the units, pitched as modern and sustainable designs, have been completed for each location.

Mr Park said the government wanted to install the "pods" as quickly as possible.

"What we can't be doing is wasting enormous amounts of time and, to be quite frank, money on detailed design work and things like that," he said.

"What we have to do is essentially, get off shelf, put them in place."

Premier Chris Minns said ensuring access to housing was crucial to attracting healthcare workers to regional areas.

"Wages changes are important and necessary, but accommodation and homes, particularly for young employees, is absolutely crucial," he said.

The units, which follow the same architectural design, will be built off-site and then installed on hospital grounds in Cooma, Broken Hill, Finley, Leeton, Narrandera and West Wyalong.

The sites were selected following consultation with local health districts to determine which facilities had the most urgent need for accommodation to support their workforces.

The units are due to be installed in mid-2024 with the housing available to workers later in the year or early in 2025.

Australian Associated Press