Landmark Health Expansion Begins to Deliver Better Services

A watershed three-pronged plan to ease pressure on the state emergency departments and provide better patient services closer to home kicks-off today.

Building works on the Marshall Liberal Government’s $86 million Southern Health Expansion Plan (SHEP) start today with renovations to the former Ward 20 at the reactivated Repat Health Precinct commencing.

Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said the Plan will increase services at Noarlunga Hospital, ease pressure on Flinders Medical Centre’s (FMC) emergency department and ensure residents in Adelaide’s south receive their care closer to home.

“The Marshall Government is delivering on its commitment to deliver better health services to South Australians,” Minister Wade said.

“Today is an important day for Adelaide’s southern community as works begin on the renovation of Repat Ward 20 to cater for patients with dementia and complex care needs.

“These renovations will see patients, who are currently treated at Noarlunga Hospital’s Myles Ward, transferred to a state-of-the-art 12-bed acute dementia specialist facility at the Repat.

“This is the first step in a series of moves that will not only add services back to a reactivated Repat site, but boost health services across the south.”

“Fixing Labor’s ramping legacy is a priority of our Government and this plan is a key step in achieving that objective.”

As part of the SHEP, moving patients with dementia and complex care from Noarlunga Hospital’s Myles Ward to the renovated Ward 20 will mean higher acuity patients can receive end to end care at Noarlunga Hospital.

Following those moves, the FMC emergency department will expand by 30 more treatment spaces to become the largest emergency department in South Australia.

This plan is expected to prevent up to 1,000 ambulance transfers a year from Noarlunga Hospital to FMC.

Southern Adelaide Local Health Network’s Co-Director of Division of Rehabilitation, Aged Care and Palliative Care, Catherine Hughes, said local patients will benefit from the SHEP.

“It is so important that patients, particularly those with dementia and complex care needs, receive the treatment and care they need in an appropriate environment,” Ms Hughes said.

“We are looking forward to being able to provide excellence in dementia care here at the Repat site, where our ward will be collocated with the Neurobehavioural Unit, the Hammond Care dementia village, community dementia services and Flinders University.

“While this is great news for the local community, my colleagues – our nurses, doctors and allied health professionals – are also looking forward to the opportunities the service moves offer for collaboration and treatment approaches.”

Renovations to Ward 20 are expected to be complete by mid-2020, with all service moves for SHEP finalised in the second half of 2021.

The tender for the FMC emergency department expansion is expected to open at the start of next month.

For more information, go to www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/SouthernHealthExpansionPlan.

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