Page 1106 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 2013
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that already exists. The university will have research areas within the hospital and some of their staff will be based there, meaning that ACT Health employees have easy access to contribute to that research but also to learn about the results of the research and to apply that learning to the care they provide on a day-to-day basis.
I am sure that members will already have realised that this project makes the ACT an even more attractive place for excellent healthcare providers to work, a centre of excellence providing quality clinical care, strongly supported by at-hand, clinical research, and affiliated with a university of note. This means that staff will want to remain working in the ACT and that healthcare providers from elsewhere will want to join us. It is an addition to Canberra, and Belconnen in particular, that will create local employment and more educational opportunities.
In building the University of Canberra public hospital, this government will have created a purpose-built facility to provide excellent care for patients with subacute health needs, for people who are in the recovery rather than the acute phase of their illness. What this means is that beds will be freed at Calvary Public Hospital, as well as Canberra Hospital, beds that are needed for patients with acute healthcare needs and that are currently occupied by those in the recovery phase.
The government has already undertaken enhancement work at the Calvary hospital, expanding the number of beds for coronary care, intensive care and patients with high-dependency needs. Together with the Australian government, we have also funded the expansion of the emergency department at Calvary hospital, adding additional treatment spaces and consultation rooms. We are currently working with Calvary hospital around their future car parking needs, a key element in getting the future needs of public health care positioned to meet demand. And this government has also funded works to reclaim wards that had become office spaces and restore them to beds for patients.
This government’s commitment to continuing to work with Calvary Public Hospital to build bed capacity for Canberrans is strong and will see additional beds added over coming years. Both Canberra and Calvary public hospitals will refer patients in the recovery or rehabilitation phase of their illness to the University of Canberra public hospital. Patients of the University of Canberra public hospital who need care in an acute hospital will be transferred to either Calvary or Canberra, depending on their care needs.
Another exciting innovation is the new University of Canberra sports hub. It will be home to elite sporting organisations and will work closely with professional and non-professional teams, while providing opportunities for UC student internships with sporting bodies. It will also benefit the nearby AIS, the premier elite sports facility in Australia with a rich history of world Olympic champions and gold medallists. This facility combines the best in sport science, medicine and technology to give Australian athletes the edge in international competition. Having the AIS based in Canberra means that local athletes can utilise these international standard facilities, like the aquatic centre and the athletics facility.
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