Farewell to Westmead & Auburn GM

Westmead and Auburn hospitals are set to farewell their beloved general manager Andrew Newton next month.

Andrew announced his plans to leave Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) this week to take on the chief executive role at Southern NSW Local Health District.

Andrew has been working for WSLHD for six years – three years as general manager for Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals and three years as general manager at Westmead and Auburn hospitals.

Andrew said he came to WSLHD on a 10-week secondment from Western NSW LHD as the acting executive director of clinical governance in 2012 – and never returned!

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time in western Sydney,” he said.

“I work with great people, who are really invested in high-quality service delivery, and I will miss the camaraderie and sense of excitement for what the future holds for health and beyond in western Sydney.”

Andrew started his career as a student nurse in Sunderland in the UK before moving to Australia.

The first hospital he worked at on his arrival to Australia was Blacktown.

Fast forward to 2012 and Andrew was back as general manager, where he had the privilege of working on stage one of the hospital’s expansion project.

“Getting the go-ahead for stage one was a real highlight of my time in western Sydney and I had the pleasure of collaborating with so many people during its planning and early delivery,” he said.

In 2014, Andrew took on the general manager role at Westmead Hospital, naming the stint as another career milestone.

“I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work in one of the largest, most complex hospitals in the state, with a real focus on the delivery of excellent clinical care, research and education,” he said.

Andrew said while he was sad to be leaving WSLHD, he was looking forward to new challenges ahead.

He takes a wealth of experience in rural health delivery with him, having performed hospital manager roles in Cowra, Forbes and Western NSW before he was appointed as rural and remote operations manager at Dubbo Hospital in 2009.

Andrew finishes up at WSLHD on November 10 – we wish him all the best in his future endeavours. He will be missed!