More hospital beds and nurses at Armadale Kelmscott Memorial Hospital

30/7/03
A total of 10 extra hospital beds have been opened at Armadale Kelmscott Memorial Hospital to help service the increased demand during winter.
The extra beds have helped ease pressure on Perth's major emergency hospitals, which would normally be used for these patients, Health Minister Jim McGinty said this week.
Mr McGinty said the beds would also ease any bottleneck at the Armadale-Kelmscott emergency department.
"Opening the extra beds will also allow more patients to be treated locally instead of being sent to Fremantle or Royal Perth hospitals," he said.
"All Western Australians are entitled to quality health care when they need it."
Mr McGinty said the Government's success at recruiting some 700 extra nurses across the public health system had enabled the hospital to open the extra beds.
"Since 2001, 235 extra nurses had been allocated to hospitals in the South Metropolitan area (Armadale, Fremantle and Rockingham), providing valuable support for the extra beds," he said.
The cost of opening the 10 beds was about $400,000 and would be met by re-prioritising funding within the health budget.
"Providing more beds during the busy winter period is one strategy being used to improve the care of patients at emergency departments," Mr McGinty said.
Minister's office: 9220 5000