MARIBYRNONG: New Footscray Hospital opens
The new Footscray Hospital opened last Wednesday morning (Feb. 18).
Some 180 patients were transferred from the old hospital throughout the day. The old hospital ED closed.
Thousands of staff started their first shift in the new hospital.
Services including the ED, surgery, ICU, coronary care and mental health began. Some 4500 staff undertook training to make the big move.
Once fully operational, the new hospital will have more than 500 beds – an increase of 200 – and treat an additional 15,000 patients every year.
Patients needing planned surgery will benefit from new state-of-the-art theatres.
The theatres also link to other Western Health sites for education, case planning and better patient care.
Radiology services will be faster for patients with three premium CT scanners including one in the ED.
It also has an expanded MRI capacity, increasing from one to three world-class machines.
The hospital is home to Victoria’s first fully public pathology service, supporting Western Health’s entire network.
That delivers faster and higher quality testing and diagnosis for patients.
Specialist care will also be easier to access thanks to an increase in consultation spaces.
The new hospital also includes an education and training centre. Run by Victoria University, it will be used to train the next generation of nurses, midwives and allied health workers.
It will also boost skills training and employment pathways for students studying physiotherapy, speech pathology, dietetics, biomedicine, and psychology.
Premier Jacinta Allan said: “This is a new hospital for Footscray, and a new future for health care in the west.”
Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister for Health, said: “Our dedicated workforce at Footscray have the modern hospital they need to deliver faster, world-class care.”
Melissa Horne MLA said: “Millions of hours on site and thousands of dedicated workers brought the hospital to life.”
Pictured: New Footscray Hospital.
Photo: Peter Bennetts, Architecture AU