New facilities opened as part of the new Prince of Wales Hospital upgrade will relieve pressure on the emergency department and make care more accessible.
The Prince of Wales Hospital is celebrating the official opening of the new Acute Services Building at Randwick, marking a significant chapter in the hospital's 160-year history of caring for the local community.
The upgrade includes a new community assessment unit which provides an alternate pathway for community health services to access specialist assessment and short-term inpatient beds, helping to reduce pressure on the emergency department (ED) and reduce unnecessary wait times.
A new community management centre will also officially open to provide virtual care services to the local health district.
The community management centre first emerged as a virtual health hub during the pandemic, but will now expand its services and will be situated at the Prince of Wales campus.
Minister for Health Ryan Park was joined by Member for Coogee Dr Marjorie O'Neill at the $865.3 million building's official opening.
The 13 storey facility is the first major upgrade to the hospital in 25 years and provides new and enhanced treatment spaces including a new and expanded emergency department and intensive care unit.
Mr Park said the Acute Services Building provides patients and staff with modern, purpose-built treatment spaces and new inpatient wards, enabling patients to be treated in the comfort of a first-class health facility.
"I am really pleased the eastern suburbs community now has access to this world-class acute services building, which will provide care for this growing community for many years to come," Mr Park said.
"It is great to see firsthand how this new facility will support new and innovative approaches to healthcare - now and well into the future.
"This state-of-the-art facility was designed with input from our incredibly valuable healthcare staff and the patients that they care for, so the final result reflects the needs of this growing community."
Member for Coogee Dr Marjorie O'Neill said the opening of the new building was a terrific result for locals, who are also set to benefit from the co-located research and education facilities being built within the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct.
"The Prince of Wales Hospital has been delivering care to this community for more than 160 years and today's official opening marks the start of a new chapter in its long history," Dr O'Neill said.
"Health services at Randwick have come a long way in 160 years, and this precinct is an excellent example of how integrating health services alongside education and research facilities fosters a culture of innovation and excellence."
The new $865.3 million 13 storey Acute Services Building also includes:
- A new and expanded:
- adult emergency department
- adult intensive care unit
- central sterilising services department
- psychiatric emergency care centre.
- Replacement of existing inpatient wards and provision of additional inpatient beds providing contemporary facilities for the following specialties:
- haematology and oncology
- aged care (acute and rehabilitation)
- orthopaedics
- respiratory and infectious diseases
- clinical neurosciences floor that incorporates an expanded acute stroke unit, neurology and neurosurgical beds and the complex epilepsy service.
Ongoing works within the building will see the future delivery of additional inpatient units along with new digital operating theatres equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
The new building is enhanced by an additional investment by UNSW Sydney to provide a 5000 square metre extension enabling health related academic and translational research spaces to be co-located with clinical services, due to open in 2024.
Also included as part of the project is a new rooftop helipad servicing the Randwick Hospitals Campus, which is set to become operational on completion of the construction of the adjacent $658 million Sydney Children's Hospital Stage 1 and Minderoo Children's Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
The completion and opening of the Prince of Wales Hospital Acute Services Building is the first major milestone for the broader Randwick Campus Redevelopment project, which will see more than $1.5 billion invested into the Randwick Hospitals Campus.
The NSW Labor Government recognises the pressures confronting our state's hospitals such as Prince of Wales, over the past 12 years.
The Minns government has outlined an ambitious and comprehensive suite of measures to rebuild our health and hospital system.
These include the implementation of safe staffing levels in our hospitals, starting in our emergency departments, as well as recruiting an extra 500 regional and rural paramedics.
The government is also rolling out a suite of innovative initiatives to improve access to care and relieve pressure on our emergency departments, including the opening of urgent care clinics and services across the state.
The Minns government is also committed to improving and optimising health spending through the Special Commission of Inquiry and is working to improve planned surgery wait times through the Surgical Care Governance Taskforce.
The Minns NSW Government has also committed to building the Rouse Hill Hospital and upgrading Canterbury, Fairfield, Mount Druitt and Blacktown Hospitals.
