The expansion project provides a planned, comprehensive and structured response to these growth pressures through expanded infrastructure and service solutions, for birthing women, newborn babies, children and adolescents with a range of health care needs. Canberra Health Services strives to provide the best possible care, in the right setting, delivered by the right person at the right time.
You can find out more about the Project by watching this short video
This project will deliver a range of new services as shown below:
Image description
The $50 million project will deliver the following key elements:
- Expansion of the 36-bed neonatal unit
- New Adolescent Mental Health Unit
- New Adolescent Mental Health Day Service
- New Gynaecology Procedure Suite
- Refurbishment of the 12-bed Paediatric High Care Ward
- Additional Post-Natal beds
- 4-bed expansion and relocation of the Maternity Assessment Unit
- Relocation of Education, Training and Meeting Rooms
Latest information
Latest news
The Paediatric High Care Ward works nearly complete!
In November 2019, the Paediatric High Care ward relocated temporarily to Block F, Level 1 which is the Paediatric Surgical Ward to minimise the disruption to services while the refurbishment work is carried out.
The Paediatric High Care Ward works involve structural changes to improve the line of sight from clinicians to patients.
Works include redesign of the patient bedrooms to provide more glassed walls for improved observation of bed spaces. The project is also increasing High Care (monitoring) to all patients admitted to the ward.
So far, the project has worked swiftly to ensure it is completed on time. The gyprock sheeting to the first and side partitions have been installed, service trades have arrived and are undertaking cabling works, and preparing for water supply piping. The insulation is being installed into partition walls and mechanical trade works have now commenced. The first coat of paint has started to be applied.
It is anticipated that patients will begin using the new Ward from October 2020 with more public information to be provided prior to that time.
Overview of the Centenary Project for Women and Children
The Centenary Hospital for Women and Children is now seven years old and since the opening in 2012, has helped thousands of babies to start their lives and cared for thousands of children and women over that time. This CHWC Expansion Project provides more than $50 million to ensure we can continue to meet the projected service demands of the ACT and Southern NSW over future years which we know will increase commensurate with our growing population.
This is such an exciting project for Canberra and the Region
We now have a perfect opportunity to expand our services and take the time to review our operational and clinical outcomes to do things even better. The expansion project allows us to look at our models of care and review them, expand the range of the services that we currently have and embed a culture of teaching, training and research into the delivery of clinical services.
We know that current demand is growing
In 2018, about 65% of all public births in the ACT were at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. We also know that significant population growth is expected over coming years, which means our births will significantly increase too. Additionally, there is a growing demand for adolescent and mental health services which means the addition of an Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Unit and day services are appropriate and well timed.
What are the benefits for patients and staff?
- New high quality and accessible health services – the project increases the volume, range and quality of services offers.
- Improvements to service delivery – creating a critical mass of acute and tertiary services to allow health care professionals to develop and maintain specialist care skills.
- Improvements to patient experience – better co-location of more services leads to better patient experience.
- Improved staff training and education – modern teaching, training and research facilities fully integrated with clinical care.
Where is the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children and where will the expansion go?
The Centenary Hospital for Women and Children is on the northern end of the Canberra Hospital campus in Woden and the expansion will be constructed on the existing site, with a slight expansion out towards Gilmore Crescent.
What will the new services look like?
The first round of design has now concluded for this project and we now have a good idea about how the new services once constructed, will look.
Below you can see rendered images of the Adolescent Mental Health Unit and Day Service from Gilmore Crescent.
Below is a rendered image of the new Clinical Administration building.
What are the next stages of the project?
Consultation with existing staff at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children is a key priority for this project to make sure we get the right information from those who know best – the people that run the service. The project team will continue to engage with other key stakeholders, including consumer representatives who will or have used the services of the CHWC, about how the project will be delivered, and importantly what it will mean for the community.
It is our intention to consult widely as the project continues through social media, community meetings and briefings.
The Development Application was lodged in late April 2020 and a decision to proceed is expected in the third quarter of this year.
With the first stage of work in the Paediatric High Care Ward already well underway, the next stage of the project to begin following DA approval is the construction of the Clinical Administration Building (pictured above). This new build will accommodate the staff who currently occupy areas within the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children who need to relocate so work can progress in those areas, and in particular, the new 16 bed Postnatal Ward to be constructed on level two.
How to find out more
If you’d like to find out more about this project, please email CHS.CHWCexpansionproject@act.gov.au.
