With only a few days to go before the state exits begins its 'roadmap to recovery', the man in charge of the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) has announced he will be leaving next month.

Scott McLachlan, who has been Chief Executive of the WNSWLHD for more than eight years, announced he would be leaving on Wednesday 10 November to take up the role of Chief Executive in the Central Coast Local Health District.

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Mr McLachlan said the decision to leave the WNSWLHD was not made lightly but he thought it was time for him to take on a new challenge and allow a fresh approach to leadership in the region.

"It isn’t easy to leave a job and a place that you love, but it’s time for me to take on something new - I’m also looking forward to being able to bring my family closer together," Mr McLachlan said.

“This was my first posting as a Chief Executive and I’ve both learned from, and enjoyed the role. It’s been a privilege to work with our exceptional clinical workforce, all the supporting services, our leadership team and Board, and our local communities.

“It’s been a challenging role, but I could not have asked for a more rewarding experience.”

Mr McLachlan has been a regular voice for regional communities over the past few months, providing COVID updates almost every day throughout the outbreak that originally began in Dubbo and has since spread across multiple communities.

He said, during his time leading the LHD, he has been thrilled to see major advancements in regional healthcare, particularly for smaller rural communities.

"I think we've done a stunning job in the last 3, 4, 5 years in helping to increase the number of services we've got in a lot of those communities, whether it's specialist outreach services, cancer services, renal dialysis, providing things in smaller country hospitals and Multipurpose Services we've never have been able to do before," he said.

"There's a lot of examples right across the north part of our region where we know, with the rurality and remoteness of those communities, people struggle to get to some of the specialist services.

But if you look at the number of people that now don't need to travel because they can now access those specialised services, either locally or virtually, it's made a huge impact.

"For example, if you go to the likes of Coonabarabran and Cobar we're now able to dialyse patients, with the support of specialist teams virtually, and we can deliver chemotherapy in those communities.

Mr McLachlan said he was also proud to oversee the redevelopment of 25 regional hospitals over the last seven years, providing state-of-the-art health facilities for regional residents and the "amazing" workforce overseeing them.

“I have a genuine sense of pride in being part of a workforce of something like 8000 people who go about their work every day, caring for patients and individuals in the community in ways that make a tremendous difference," he said.

“While I’m looking forward to my new role, I will always be grateful to the people in our LHD team and communities who have supported me, and who I’ve learned so much from.”

Mr McLachlan will finish at the WNSWLHD on 10 November. Interim leadership will be put in place well in advance of that date, and a permanent recruitment will also commence during that time.