Bondi attacks prompt creation of new institute for emergency care of children in NSW
News Source
β’Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:01:21 GMT
π° What Happened
New South Wales will set up a new institute to improve emergency care for badly injured children. It will be based at the Sydney Children's hospital in Randwick. The NSW Institute for Paediatric Trauma should be running within six months.
It will bring together doctors, researchers and specialists. Teams will do advanced training and practice runs for complex trauma cases, from the first emergency treatment to long-term recovery.
Health minister Ryan Park said the plan follows emergency responses to critical incidents in the state. He named the Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction attacks.
π The Backstory
Dr Guy Henry, co-director of trauma services at Randwick, treated victims of the 2024 Westfield Bondi Junction stabbings and the Bondi beach attack. He said children's bodies and injuries differ a lot from adults'.
Children often arrive with internal organ injuries from risk-taking, and e-bike crashes are becoming more common. Burns also follow different patterns in children.
Henry pointed to the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, where hospital staff had run a mass casualty practice six weeks earlier. Training starts at Randwick, with later plans for regional NSW and the ACT.
π― Why It Matters
Children hurt in disasters or accidents need care built for their bodies. Practising in advance means hospitals can act faster when the worst happens.
New South Wales will set up a new institute to improve emergency care for badly injured children. It will be based at the Sydney Children's hospital in Randwick. The NSW Institute for Paediatric Trauma should be running within six months.
It will bring together doctors, researchers and specialists. Teams will do advanced training and practice runs for complex trauma cases, from the first emergency treatment to long-term recovery.
Health minister Ryan Park said the plan follows emergency responses to critical incidents in the state. He named the Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction attacks.
Dr Guy Henry, co-director of trauma services at Randwick, treated victims of the 2024 Westfield Bondi Junction stabbings and the Bondi beach attack. He said children's bodies and injuries differ a lot from adults'.
Children often arrive with internal organ injuries from risk-taking, and e-bike crashes are becoming more common. Burns also follow different patterns in children.
Henry pointed to the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, where hospital staff had run a mass casualty practice six weeks earlier. Training starts at Randwick, with later plans for regional NSW and the ACT.
Children hurt in disasters or accidents need care built for their bodies. Practising in advance means hospitals can act faster when the worst happens.