The new Women’s and Children’s Hospital (nWCH) is to have the capacity to treat about 21,400 additional patients a year and cater for more than 1,200 cars in its carpark.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Stephen Wade said the new design features were part of the nWCH Master Plan, which was released on 6 July, and also include a bridge over the rail line for families to access Adelaide’s parklands for respite and play.
Mr Wade said the nWCH, which was to cost an estimated $1.95 billion, would be significantly larger than the current hospital, with the footprint growing from 96,000 square metres to 108,000 square metres.
He said some non-clinical services would be relocated offsite, resulting in more space for patient treatment areas.
Mr Wade said the plan for the new hospital included 59 more treatment spaces than the current hospital, allowing for approximately 3,400 more inpatient admissions and 18,000 additional Emergency Department attendances each year.
He said the nWCH would be co-located with the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and within the world-class BioMed City, which was one of the largest health and life science clusters in the southern hemisphere.
“The Women’s and Children’s Hospital was the first Australian hospital specialising in health services for women, babies, children and young people, and the facility has provided excellent care to families for more than 140 years,” Mr Wade said.
“However, the aging infrastructure and inflexibility of the current site does not reflect the needs of the South Australian community today,” he said.
Chair of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) Governing Board, Jim Birch acknowledged the significant input of the hospital’s clinicians, other staff, consumers and volunteers during the first stage of consultation.
More information and the Government’s 65-page nWCH Master Plan can be accessed at this PS News link.
