One in three dollars from this year's NSW government budget will go to health, the premier says just two days from budget day.
It comes as the government announced on Sunday that nearly 1400 nurses, doctors and health workers will be employed in NSW hospitals courtesy of a funding boost in Tuesday's state budget.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet say the boost is part of the "record" $1 billion in new recurrent funding which will bring the 2018-19 health budget to $23 billion.
"We've worked hard as a government to make money available for health," Ms Berejiklian told reporters at Sydney's Westmead Childrens' Hospital, adding that there will be more health announcements involving hospital upgrades when the budget is delivered this week.
The extra 950 nurses and midwives, 300 doctors and 120 allied health workers will be in hospitals and health services across the state.
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Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it means more surgeries and better and faster emergency care.
With almost a third of the state's budget going to health, he boasted NSW had the best health system in the country.
Ms Berejiklian said she would like the extra staff employed "as soon as possible" and said nursing trainees in other states need to know that NSW Health will be looking to employ.
NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association general secretary Brett Holmes said Sunday's announcement was a step in the right direction but that the government needed to come clean on nurse-to-patient ratios.
"Nurses and midwives are leaving our hospitals in droves," Mr Holmes said in a statement.
He said the 950 new nurses need to know the ratios so when they go to work they will be providing safe patient care and working under safe staffing levels.
Ms Berejiklian said she suspected the union "would never be satisfied".
"I know what our system needs," she said.
NSW Labor has described the announcement as "catch up - after eight years of neglect".
"The Liberals and Nationals have neglected the health and hospital system for eight years and on the eve of an election, they are forced to acknowledge the health and hospital system is in crisis," opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said in a statement.
The government has also announced a hamper for mothers of newborns to help parents.
Aside from $150 worth of supplied baby items, the hamper was more about the important educational booklets inside, supplied by the government, which can help parents with issues such as what to do if a mother might be suffering post-natal depression, said Mental Health Minister Tanya Davies.
Meanwhile, the budget will also provide an additional $32 million to Catholic and independent schools over the next four years to assist them to build more classrooms to accommodate growing enrolments.
"We want all students in NSW to succeed and thrive in the 21st century, regardless of what school they go to," Education Minister Rob Stokes said.
