Page 2748 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 13 August 2019
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mean a major transformation of the hospital campus. Through the new surgical procedures, interventional radiology and emergency project, or SPIRE project, we will provide state of the art critical care to meet the acute healthcare needs of our region into the future in a contemporary facility at Canberra Hospital.
The SPIRE project will deliver 114 emergency department treatment spaces, 39 more than are currently available at the Canberra Hospital, as well as 60 ICU beds, almost doubling the number currently available. The new facility will include four new paediatric ICU beds and a family zone to provide support services for families who have children in the ICU. It will also deliver 22 new state of the art operating theatres, nine more than are currently available, including hybrid theatres and interventional radiology theatres that will support the most advanced medical technology and techniques in caring for Canberrans.
I can assure Mrs Dunne that clinicians have been, and will continue to be, closely engaged in the development of SPIRE. Indeed, solid progress has been made in delivering on this project. Proof of concept designs are essentially complete. Clinical engagement is underway in relation to both models of care and design. As Mrs Dunne noted, contractor engagement for the new temporary building 24 has been completed and works are due to commence in the next few weeks.
A project director is in place at Major Projects Canberra and a team of five health planners and clinical liaison officers has transferred from the Health Directorate into the SPIRE project team in Major Projects Canberra, quite contradicting Mrs Dunne’s assertions about how many people are involved in this project. Advisory procurement is underway, as Mrs Dunne has noted, and the delivery team is ramping up. So solid progress is being made in relation to the SPIRE project and it will be delivered, as was advised by former Minister Fitzharris in May.
In addition to the SPIRE project, through this year’s budget we are investing in more beds at Canberra Hospital to help reduce waiting times and to ensure that Canberrans receive the critical care they need, when they need it. This includes more than $42 million over four years to resource four additional intensive care unit beds and 12 beds for inpatient services.
We are also significantly expanding the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children to support women, families and children. The planned expansion will increase existing services such as maternity and neonatology and create spaces for new services. It will enhance the Centenary hospital’s role as Canberra’s tertiary facility for neonatal, gynaecological and maternity services, and as the sole facility for paediatric services, with new and expanded services to include improved paediatric high care services, more neonatology services, new adolescent gynaecology services, improved integration and maternity assessment services with existing birthing services, more postnatal services, new inpatient adolescent mental health services supported by a new day service, and an expanded family support area for parents with ill or premature babies.
Another key part of growing the health infrastructure in the ACT is ensuring that Canberrans have healthcare options close to their homes—in particular, options that
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