Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has declared the Peninsula University Hospital, pictured during construction, completed. Photo: Victorian Health Building Authority.
One of Victoria’s largest health infrastructure projects is set to open its doors this week, with the Allan Labor Government announcing the $1.1 billion redevelopment of Frankston Hospital has been completed.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas made the announcement, saying patients and staff are already moving into the 12-storey tower at the precinct’s centre.
Now known as the Peninsula University Hospital, the redeveloped facility will have the capacity to treat 35,000 more patients every year.
The project has delivered new and expanded services, including oncology, mental health, women’s and children’s facilities, 15 new operating theatres and 130 more beds.
“We promised Frankston a bigger and better hospital. That’s what we’ve delivered, and more,” Ms Allan said.
“Here’s what we believe: wherever you live in Victoria, you deserve the best standards of healthcare for you and your family. Frankston’s new hospital is proof.”
The precinct will include a new emergency department with more treatment spaces, a revamped triage area and dedicated zones to assess patients, in addition to a new rooftop helipad to support the transfer of critically ill people.
This expansion serves what is already one of the state’s busiest emergency departments, with up to 75,000 patients a year presenting for medical attention.
The emergency department will also include a mental health and alcohol and other drugs hub (AOD), intended as a purpose-built facility to treat those with urgent mental health or AOD issues.
The hub is aimed at easing pressure on resources in the emergency department and improving safety. The model has already been implemented at several other major hospitals across the state.
Beyond reducing the strain on the emergency department, the hub will be staffed by a specialist team of mental health and AOD workers and clinicians providing integrated assessment, treatment and post-discharge support to reduce the stigma, distress and trauma often experienced in conventional emergency departments.
In addition, a dedicated paediatric zone will provide care for children in a family-friendly environment. It includes its own waiting and triage area, a play area and an outdoor courtyard, and will be staffed by dedicated personnel.
“Our dedicated doctors, nurses and frontline staff at the new Peninsula University Hospital now have the world-class facilities to care for families in this growing area of Melbourne,” Minister Thomas said.
By creating specialist zones besides the emergency department, the strategy overall aims to cut wait and ambulance offload times.
Frankston has been the state’s top performer in ambulance and emergency wait times since the government introduced the Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care in February 2025. More than 95 per cent of ambulance patients have been handed over within the 40-minute target.
