Australia’s leading children’s hospital will soon be able to treat thousands more patients – with the multi-million-dollar expansion of the Royal Children’s Hospital now well underway.
Minister for Health Martin Foley today visited the hospital to announce works to expand the emergency department will begin in July and inspect progress on the delivery of a new 30-bed inpatient unit, which started in March.
With the state’s busiest paediatric emergency department often experiencing more than 300 presentations a day, the nearly $50 million investment from the Andrews Labor Government will mean the hospital can see even more patients and ensure it continues to meet increased demand for specialist paediatric treatment and care.
The first stage of the expansion is on track to be completed later this year, delivering a new ward for young patients with a range of different illnesses, including cancer.
The second stage will deliver a bigger and better designed emergency department, creating an extra 20 emergency clinical treatment spaces – meaning even more children can be seen and reducing waiting times.
The new ward will allow treatment of an additional 2,730 children a year, while increasing the emergency department capacity by a third will allow about 13,140 extra children to be treated each year.
Kane Constructions has been appointed to build the emergency department expansion, which is expected to be completed in mid-2023, with the subsequent upgrade of the existing emergency department to finish in mid-2024.
The project will also deliver upgraded staff rooms, a new entrance to the emergency department and a purpose-built sensory room, to provide children and families with a calming space to receive treatment.
In 2019 the Labor Government delivered more than $31 million for the project with a further almost $20 million recently invested for features to combat the spread of COVID-19 and implement the best hospital design following the pandemic – such as improvements to ventilation, air conditioning systems, engineering services and heating.
Delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority, the project is expected to create and sustain around 120 construction jobs.
The hospital is one of the world’s leading institutions for paediatric health, attracting patients with the highest needs from around the globe. It’s also an important hospital in paediatric training and research.
As stated by Minister for Health Martin Foley
“A bigger and better Royal Children’s Hospital will ensure Victorian kids continue to receive the world-class healthcare they deserve when they get sick or an emergency strikes.”
As stated by Member for Northern Metropolitan Sheena Watt
“The new and expanded emergency department will provide a welcoming, child-friendly environment for patients and their families.”
