Following the commitment from regional health Minister Bronnie Taylor for 48 beds and six chairs at Gunnedah's new hospital, the town's PaediatRic And Maternity Support (PRAMS) group has been left with questions.

A hot topic of concern is the plan to include maternity beds side by side with general ward beds.

PRAMS committee member Amber Donoghue said the group was seeking an explanation as to why the wards, which are separate in the current hospital, had been merged.

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"There could be a staffing reason, that seems logical," she said.

"But you obviously need to be mindful of things like cross infection.

"It's definitely a concern."

Ms Donoghue said, from conversations with hospital staff in Gunnedah, there was a "huge need" for a CT scanner, which would mean patients wouldn't need to be transferred to Tamworth.

Yet she felt it was unclear whether this had been considered in the plans.

"Of course some of those [transfers] end up being necessary, but there's approximately about four per day on average that would not be required," she said.

"This would reduce the strain Gunnedah patients are putting on the Tamworth facility."

By having a CT scanner in Gunnedah, which Ms Donoghue said staff are already trained to use, it is hoped it would also help reduce the fatigue levels of ambulance drivers and paramedics.

"It just seems a very logical opportunity to put that into the redevelopment."

A spokesperson for Hunter New England Health said clinical services planning shows there isn't enough demand to include a new CT service as part of the redevelopment.

The spokesperson said the maternity beds will be co-located with the inpatient unit to promote "flexible spaces to support contemporary models of care and improved patient flow".

"In line with flexibility built into the design, mothers and babies will be separated from other general inpatients to ensure their privacy and security," the spokesperson said.

"The majority of inpatient rooms are single, with some two bedroom rooms to also be constructed."

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