Construction has started on the largest ever expansion of Flinders Medical Centre as the Malinauskas Labor Government forges ahead with building a bigger health system and ramping continues to improve.
Early works are now underway on a huge new 98-bed Acute Services Building at Flinders, jointly funded by the Malinauskas Labor Government and the Albanese Labor Government, as part of a massive bed boost in the southern suburbs.
It follows the opening of 64 beds already this year in the south across Flinders Medical Centre, the Repat and Noarlunga Hospital, which is helping to reduce bed-block, with ambulance ramping again improving across all our metro hospitals in October.
Ramping decreased in October to 2,983 hours – the state's best result in 17 months and the best October since 2021.
October's ramping was again better than September's 3,106 hours and is the third straight month of improved performance – and now a 46 per cent reduction in ramping since July.
Flinders Medical Centre – where the Government has recently opened 20 new beds – recorded its lowest October ramping result in four years and its best monthly result (825 hours) since April last year.
In the southern suburbs, the Malinauskas Government is delivering:
- 20 fast-tracked beds at FMC (already opened this year)
- 32 extra beds at the Repat (already opened this year)
- 12 extra beds at Noarlunga (already opened this year)
- 8 extra beds at FMC (this year)
- 10 extra beds in an expansion of FMC's Margaret Tobin Centre mental health wards (next year)
- 48 extra beds at Noarlunga (next year)
- 98 extra beds in the new FMC tower building (opening 2028)
The 98-bed seven-level Acute Services Building at FMC is part of a $498 million investment, jointly funded by the State and Federal governments, to significantly increase hospital capacity in Adelaide's south, including a 160-bed expansion across Flinders Medical Centre and the Repat.
Four new Operating Theatres in the FMC Tower will increase theatre capacity by 25 per cent, helping hundreds of extra patients a year receive elective surgery.
The extra capacity will also allow for an additional emergency theatre to be in use.
The tower will also include two 32-bed Adult Inpatient Units, an 18-same-day-bed Medical Day Unit, as well as a 16-bed Intensive Care Unit and supporting CT scanner suite.
The development will also include 14-bay recovery areas, a new Day of Surgery Admissions area and a dedicated floor for the FMC Eye Surgery Clinic that will enable the integration of FMC's ophthalmology services into a single, modern facility.
Artist impression images and flyover of the new FMC tower can be viewed here.
Full ramping data – including a hospital-by-hospital breakdown – can be found here.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We are building a bigger health system and it's delivering results.
It's great to see our investment in beds improving patient flow through our hospitals. We know there is more work to do and we're getting on with that job.
It's why we are delivering 600 beds across our state to help South Australians receive better healthcare and reduce ramping.
A significant portion of those beds will be in the southern suburbs and it's fantastic that construction is now underway on our 98-bed tower at Flinders.
As put by Chris Picton
When we came to government we knew our health system needed hundreds more beds and that's exactly what we're delivering.
It takes time to build beds and now that they're starting to come online we are seeing the results they are bringing, with the understanding that there is more work to do.
In the south, we've already opened 64 beds this year – and there are many more to come, with work now underway on the 98-bed tower for Flinders.
As put by Federal Member for Boothby, Louise Miller-Frost
Our partnership as the Albanese Labor Government with the Malinauskas Labor Government is providing a once-in-a-generation upgrade at Flinders Medical Centre.
Labor is opening as many beds as possible to expand services and improve care for residents in our southern suburbs.
Our community in Adelaide's southern suburbs deserves the very best clinical care and this huge expansion will enable our dedicated health workers to deliver that.
As put by Labor candidate for Black, Alex Dighton
My community in the southern suburbs needs more hospital beds and that is exactly what Labor is delivering.
It's exciting to have work starting on this important 98-bed tower for Flinders. It comes on top of 64 beds the Malinauskas Government has already opened for the south this year.
These projects will enable residents in our growing southern suburbs to receive the very best healthcare.
As put by SALHN Clinical Director, Surgery and Perioperative Medicine, Dr Nadia Wise
As a Division of Surgery, we are pleased that the acute services building offers us a 25 per cent increase in theatre capacity.
This will not only allow us to boost our ability to deliver more timely elective surgery to the community of the south.
It also provides us with increased capacity for emergency and urgent surgery, ensuring that we work collaboratively across the network to improve access to care.
