Westmead Hospital is a specialist tertiary referral hospital for the western metropolitan area of Sydney, serving more than 900,000 residents in 120 suburbs.

The facility is a major teaching hospital of The University of Sydney for medical and dental students, and one of Australia’s largest centres for postgraduate training to specialist level. 

Mr Newton farewelled Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals last week, finishing up as general manager where he helped prepare the region for the future by responding to the healthcare needs of a rapidly growing population.

Mr Newton is excited to be appointed as the general manager Westmead Hospital and looks forward to the challenge. 

“I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in Parkes.

“ Our community has great people working in health and it’s a history I’m very proud of,” he said.

“I understand how important the larger city hospitals are to the health of rural communities and I hope to work in partnership with our rural health practitioners.” 

Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) chief executive Danny O’Connor said Andrew has a wealth of experience in successfully managing the delivery of healthcare. 

“Andrew’s many achievements as general manager of Blacktown Mount Druitt Health see him uniquely positioned for his new role at Westmead,” he said.

“He has been central in the Blacktown Mount Druitt Hospital expansion project; positioning  Blacktown as one of the key sites for e-health innovation; and in the roll-out of major initiatives including Paper-Lite which saw Blacktown as the first facility in NSW to move to an almost paperless patient record system.

“I’m pleased to welcome Andrew and am confident he will continue to make significant contributions,” Mr O’Connor said. 

Mr Newton, an Englishman, began his health career in 1994 as a registered nurse in the operating theatres at Blacktown.

He arrived in Parkes in 1997 to become the nurse unit manager in Operating Theatres at the Parkes Health Services, subsequently taking the roles of nurse manager and health service 

Andrew is married to Sharne who was born and raised in Parkes. 

They have two daughters, Grace, 14, who attends Parkes High School, and Ainsley, 11, who has just finished at Middleton Public School. 

Andrew has worked in various hospitals across the central west including Forbes, Trundle, Cowra, Grenfell, and Dubbo. 

The Newton family will continue to live in Parkes and have established a Connemara pony stud.