The Randwick community is celebrating a significant milestone with major construction of the $782.8 million Acute Services Building at Prince of Wales Hospital completed.
The building is the first major upgrade to the hospital in 25 years and is the centrepiece of the first-class health, research and education facilities within the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct.
Premier Dominic Perrottet, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton today toured the new building, due to open to patients early next year.
“The NSW Government is proud to be investing more than $1 billion in the Randwick Campus Redevelopment as part of the NSW Government’s record $11.9 billion investment in health infrastructure over the four years to 2025-26,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals are delivering Australia’s largest health capital program, bringing world-class healthcare to every corner of the state, and continuing to improve the lives of families everywhere.”
Minister Hazzard said the state-of-the-art facility will support new and innovative approaches to acute healthcare and provide staff with purpose-designed treatment spaces.
“NSW is leading the way in building dedicated health and research precincts, bringing together the very best clinicians and researchers to significantly improve patient care,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Patients in the Randwick area will have access to the very latest diagnostic tests and trials of new treatments in incredibly modern facilities.”
The $782.8 million Acute Services Building will also enable health-related academic and translational research spaces to be co-located with clinical services, and includes an investment by UNSW Sydney to provide an additional 5000 square metre extension across Hospital Road, currently under construction.
The 2022-23 NSW State Budget committed an extra $82.5 million to the project, bringing the total investment in the Acute Services Building to $865.3 million.
This will enable fit out of more operating theatres and associated recovery spaces, an additional intensive care unit pod and inpatient areas, due for completion in 2024.
The new Prince of Wales Hospital Acute Services Building includes:
- A new and expanded adult Emergency Department
- A new and expanded Intensive Care Unit
- New digital operating theatres equipped with state-of-the-art technology
- A new and expanded Central Sterilizing Services Department
- A new helipad servicing the Randwick Hospitals Campus
- A new and expanded Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre
- A new Community Assessment Unit
- A new Community Management Centre.
The building will also provide expansive new inpatient wards to replace existing ones, including:
- Haematology and Oncology
- Aged Care (Acute and Rehabilitation)
- Orthopaedics
- Respiratory and Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Neurosciences, incorporating an expanded Acute Stroke Unit, Neurology and Neurosurgical beds and the Complex Epilepsy Service.
Ms Upton said the much-anticipated project has generated more than 2,000 jobs across construction and related industries.
“It has created a monthly average of more than 40 full time equivalent positions for women in construction, as well as more than 100 apprenticeship roles among a construction workforce of some 500 employees per month,” Ms Upton said.
“The Eastern Suburbs will soon have an incredible acute care building that will service our local community for many years to come and give hardworking health staff a facility they can be very proud of.”
The NSW Government has delivered more than 180 health capital projects since 2011, with a further 130 projects currently underway across the state.