The ground floor area at the eastern end of the hospital has two dedicated palliative care beds with the capacity to extend to four beds if needed.

The facility opened in January but was officially unveiled this week.

It becomes a permanent replacement for the Uniting Parkwood facility which was used for a trial last year.

The opening follows a multi-year effort by the Orange Push for Palliative group.

Key members visited the facility, which includes access to a hospital garden, on Tuesday as part of the opening.

President Jenny Hazelton said it was "an important step forward' for Orange.

"We formed almost five years ago with the goal of ensuring dedicated beds in one area of the hospital could become a reality," she said.

Mrs Hazelton said the end of the government-funded trial at Uniting Parkwood due to funding restraints was initially met with a 'strong level of disappointment' but they were now pleased aspects of the Parkwood model had been incorporated in the new facility.

She said furniture and art works from Parkwood had been moved to the Orange Hospital unit. The Push for Palliative group has provided funding for a family lounge area and other in-room amenities.

Mrs Hazelton said they still had a 'mid-long term plan' for a dedicated eight-bed hospice in Orange.

She said they had worked closely with the hospital executive and general manager Catherine Nowlan to get the unit up and running.

Ms Nowlan said the new area was a 'significant development' in the growth of the hospital.

"The opening of this area gives Orange Hospital two dedicated palliative care beds, with the capacity to increase to four beds if needed," she said.

"The remaining beds within the unit are for patients admitted for haematology or oncology treatment," Ms Nowlan said.

"It provides patients and families with the option to receive palliative end-of-life care within the hospital environment in a dedicated palliative care unit with a specialist medical, nursing and allied health team.

"The unit will complement the work being done with the community palliative care team and community nurses who also provide palliative care within the home."

The concept was proposed in July 2020. After endorsement by a palliative care strategic working group, including the Push for Palliative group, Western NSW Local Health District announced in October it would progress.

Member for Orange Phil Donato took a 10,000-signatory petition calling for the reinstatement of a palliative care ward at Orange Hospital to state parliament in 2017.

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