Page 3947 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 29 November 2022
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As members can see from the government’s significant boost in investment across our frontline maternity services, with more than $27.5 million over the past two budgets, this means that we are not only delivering on our ambitious plans for the future but expanding services now.
MR PETTERSSON: Minister, can you please provide an update on how the ACT government is expanding the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children to support Canberrans?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Pettersson for the question. We have invested more than $50 million to expand the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. That has already delivered the refurbishment of the paediatric high care ward and new clinical administration support areas. In October the new maternity assessment unit opened for women in the second half of their pregnancy, or in the first two weeks after giving birth, who need a pregnancy-related assessment. The new unit doubles the size of the existing service and the design supports the implementation of a new model of care which incorporates 24-hour services and a triage-based system to ensure that women get the right service at the right time.
The gynaecology day unit was also opened, which is a new service offering a dedicated procedure suite for adolescents and women who require gynaecological treatment. The suite has been designed to provide the person-centred care each patient needs when they are feeling particularly vulnerable.
The new antenatal and gynaecology unit is currently under construction and will support the creation of 15 new postnatal beds and strong integration with the new early pregnancy unit. The new three-bed early pregnancy unit will support women with all complications relating to early pregnancy, including early pregnancy loss. This is a purpose-built unit to deliver a therapeutic and healing environment, and it will be staffed by a skilled multidisciplinary team.
The final stage of the project will see a further expansion, with a new adolescent unit, including residential adolescent mental health care, an adolescent mental health day service, the special care nursery expansion and an additional neonatology area for families. Through the Centenary Hospital expansion project we are planning comprehensive infrastructure investment for women, newborn babies, children and adolescents and their families, with more beds, more therapeutic spaces and more support areas for our workforce.
Mr Barr: Further questions can be placed on the notice paper.
Legislative Assembly—conduct
MR HANSON (Murrumbidgee) (2.54): I seek leave to move the motion circulated in my name asking Mr Gentleman to withdraw and apologise for what I consider to be misleading statements to the Assembly.
Leave not granted.
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