- State Government announces plan to meet demand for children's hospital beds
New children's hospital capacity boosted from 274 to 298 - with an extra 24 beds
Expansion is part of growing paediatric capacity across metropolitan area
Premier announces Perth Children's Hospital as official name for the new children's hospital
$1.2billion Perth Children's Hospital remains on time and on budget for completion in late 2015
The State Government has announced that the capacity of the new children's hospital has been increased from 274 beds to 298 beds - up 24 on the original design and now 48 more than Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).
Premier Colin Barnett said the hospital floor plan had been reconfigured to deliver an extra 24-bed surgical ward.
Mr Barnett said the extra ward would be created at a cost of $38million as part of a boost in paediatric beds to meet the revised demand forecast for 2021.
The Premier also announced that the new hospital would be named Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) - the original name of the children's hospital when it opened in 1909.
Mr Barnett said the $1.2billion hospital would serve as the hub of Western Australia's paediatric network for the most complex and critical cases.
"The key clinical and research areas at PCH will be 52 per cent bigger than that at PMH, including an Emergency Department (ED) which will be 88 per cent bigger," he said.
The Family Resource Centre was more than three times the size of that in PMH, providing vastly improved facilities for patients, their parents and siblings.
Three out of four rooms would be single rooms.
"PCH will be one of the best paediatric hospitals in the world. It will combine leading-edge technology and medical equipment, and family friendly design, including big recreation areas for patients and their siblings, bedside accommodation for families and family resource lounges," the Premier said.
"PCH is the centrepiece of the WA child health care system. As a world-class tertiary hospital, it will provide the specialty medical treatment required for the most serious medical cases.
"It's one of the largest health projects ever undertaken in this State, and a key part of the Liberal National Government's $7billion hospital building program - the biggest in WA's history."
Health Minister Kim Hames said the expanded capacity at PCH was part of the Government's program to boost the total number of paediatric beds across the metropolitan area to just over 400.
"PCH will be supported by six other public hospitals - Fiona Stanley Hospital, Midland Public Hospital, Joondalup Health Campus, Peel Health Campus, Armadale-Kelmscott Memorial Hospital and Rockingham General Hospital - all with dedicated paediatric beds," Dr Hames said.
"It is important that there are paediatric beds in the suburbs, close to where families live, to provide convenient and high-quality health care for less complex medical cases.
"The new Fiona Stanley Hospital will have 29 paediatric beds and a dedicated paediatric ED, while Midland Public Hospital will have 12 paediatric beds. Between them PCH, Fiona Stanley Hospital and Midland Public Hospital will deliver 339 new paediatric beds that will be among the best in the world."
Dr Hames said the latest modelling used the most up-to-date population figures and actual 2011-12 paediatric inpatient activity.
"PCH, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Midland Public Hospital and expansion at existing hospitals will take the total capacity to just over 400 paediatric beds - the very latest modelling predicts that we will need 399 beds for 2021," he said.
"We have capacity for further expansion at both PCH and the other hospitals to cater for paediatric demand beyond 2021."
The Premier said Perth Children's Hospital had been chosen as the name after careful consideration, in recognition of the original name of WA's children's hospital when it opened in 1909. It was renamed Princess Margaret Hospital in 1949.
"This will be a new hospital for a new generation. In naming it Perth Children's Hospital, we acknowledge the role it has played in our city and State; the lives of thousands of children and families; and the traditions and excellence that started more than 100 years ago," he said.
The State Government's $7billion hospital building program includes the newly opened $170million Albany Health Campus as well as:
Fiona Stanley Hospital ($2billion)
Perth Children's Hospital ($1.2billion)
Midland Public Hospital ($360.2million)
Joondalup public hospital ($230million)
Busselton Health Campus ($118million)
Kalgoorlie Health Campus ($56million).
Fact File
The Perth Children's Hospital is being built on the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre site in Nedlands and will open in late 2015
The new hospital will be the State's only specialist paediatric hospital and major trauma centre
More information at http://www.newchildrenshospitalproject.health.wa.gov.au
Premier's office - 6552 5000
Health Minister's office - 6552 5300
