Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is making exciting progress to deliver $200 million in critical upgrades to the Royal Hobart Hospital, with two important Stage 2 Redevelopment projects being given the green light to begin construction.
As part of the Government’s plan to deliver upgraded health facilities to meet the needs of Tasmanians now and into the future, redevelopment of the lower ground of H-Block will soon begin, as the first stage of a significant expansion of the Emergency Department (ED) to help meet growing demand.
The expansion of the ED will see the former paediatric outpatients unit in lower ground H-Block converted to a purpose-built ED short-stay unit with 28 new beds to accommodate patients who require additional observation and assessment for up to 24 hours. Paediatric outpatients has moved to D-Block level three.
The new Short Stay Unit will enable improved operational efficiency, improve patient privacy and give better access to single patient bays which are essential for preventing and controlling infection risks. The purpose-built area will also provide access to dedicated treatment spaces for procedures, including for patients who require sedation.
This is the first stage of our $50 million investment to supersize and modernise the ED, ensuring that we have the number of beds and treatment points to meet current and future emergency demand until 2035.
J-Block will also be refurbished to house the relocation of several key upgraded services, including the relocation of the cardiology unit from D-block to a newly renovated 38-bed ward.
As a result, cardiology services will benefit from upgraded facilities which will improve service delivery, workflow and support the future growth of this critical service.
Additionally, a new sleep medicine service will be established on J-Block, with three beds allocated to meet current and future clinical needs.
Finally, a general medical and surgical inpatient ward will be established on J-Block level three allowing services to be maintained while A-Block is also renovated.
The works are an important part of stage two of the Royal Hobart Hospital Redevelopment with many other works already underway including renovations to endoscopy services on A-Block level four, as well as significant works to increase the hospital’s critical care capacity.
This increase will see 12 new critical care beds – including two negative pressure rooms – and additional family/visitors’ space in ICU which will improve service delivery, workflow, and the patient experience.
The $12 million redevelopments of J-Block and $14 million ED expansion were signed off by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works in January and February respectively.
Works will commence from next week, with the J-Block refurbishment expected to be completed by September 2022, closely followed by the expected completion of the ED expansion in December 2022.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government will continue to invest record funding to address immediate pressures and ensure Tasmanians can get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Importantly, we will continue to build upon this work over the next decade with a billion-dollar longer-term vision that sees a better health system in every region of Tasmania.
