30 November 2007

Expanded ED approved for Calvary Mater Hospital redevelopment

NSW Minister for Health, Reba Meagher, today announced that the redevelopment of the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital has been expanded to include two new valuable additions in emergency care.
The building works will include an additional 12-bed Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) and two additional Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) treatment spaces.
Ms Meagher said the additional capital investment of $2.46 million will ensure Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital and Hunter New England Mental Health can provide appropriate services to local people.
“The variation will help staff treat more patients and ease the pressure on the busy emergency department,” Ms Meagher said.
“We have listened to the planning needs of clinicians and are taking action now to re-arrange space within the existing building footprint.”
Ms Meagher said the implementation of an electronic storage system for medical records would be brought forward to allow for the planned expansion of the emergency department.
“These changes will allow for a smoother transition of patients through the emergency department, particularly for patients requiring observation in the emergency department or short-stay patients who can be admitted to an MAU bed, rather than remaining in the emergency department,” Ms Meagher said.
“The emergency department will also have increased capacity to manage presentations, both mainstream and mental health more appropriately.
“Mental health clients who present to the emergency department can now be directed to the PECC for assessment and review rather than this occurring in the general emergency department.”
At a current total project cost of $212 million, the redeveloped Mater Hospital will have a total bed capacity of 204 beds (including 176 overnight beds, a range of day treatment spaces and a 32 emergency department treatment spaces) plus three operating theatres/procedure rooms.
Calvary Mater Newcastle General Manager Colin Osborne enthusiastically welcomed the announcement.
“These additional facilities will enhance capability and flexibility when admitting patients from the emergency department, it will speed up this process and help to improve the hospital’s Emergency Access Performance,” Mr Osborne said.
Co-located on the Mater site will be a new 98-bed acute mental health facility (including 10 additional acute mental health beds) to replace existing facilities at James Fletcher Hospital.
This redevelopment also provides for the expansion of radiation oncology services for residents of the Hunter New England Health area.
Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery welcomed the investment in additional hospital beds.
“This considerable addition will strengthen services available across the Greater Newcastle Acute Hospitals and will assist in managing the increased demand on services,” Ms Hornery said.
“This is an exciting step forward in the NSW Government’s commitment to improving local health services.
“These additional beds are on top of an extra 15 new acute care hospital beds recently announced for John Hunter Hospital, and will complement the Government’s recent investment for an additional 1.9 full time equivalent senior General Medicine physicians at Calvary Mater Newcastle.”

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au