First look inside new Women\'s and Children\'s Hospital

South Australians are getting a first glimpse of what the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital will look like inside, as construction nears completion on the hospital’s eight-storey carpark.

A new flyover of the new Women’s and Children Hospital has been released, giving a preview of the hospital’s interior for the first time.

It comes as three quarters of the huge car park structure is now complete with construction underway on level seven of the eight-storey carpark.

The carpark will have 1300 spaces – an almost 40 per cent increase on the existing hospital’s 940 carpark spaces, providing more convenience for families and staff.

In another major milestone for the project, Schematic Design has begun including the onboarding of new clinical advisors across Women’s and Babies Division, Surgical Services, Paediatric Medicine, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and Sub-Acute and Allied Health Division.

This next phase of design will focus on patient flows and the functionality of each department, including the location of equipment and technology.

Engagement with staff will continue during all phases of the new WCH project focusing on clinical service planning and models of care.

Construction on the main hospital building will begin later this year with inground and structural works. The hospital is on track for completion by 2031.

The new hospital will have 414 overnight beds - an additional 56 compared to the current hospital – and further capacity to add an extra 20 beds in future.

There will be an additional 56 overnight beds at the new hospital, with 25 per cent additional capacity at the site including a larger Emergency Department and an ICU for women co-located with the Paediatric ICU.
An additional five operating theatres will be available and all will be significantly bigger, while oncology overnight beds will double from nine to 18.

Neonatal Services at the new hospital will provide significant benefits to patients including five additional cots, with single rooms throughout the unit. Neonatal Services provides intensive care, high dependency care, and special care for our most vulnerable babies.

The rooms will be larger than the current shared cot space allowing for a more comfortable and contemporary environment, particularly for longer-term stays.

The NICU new design will facilitate:

• In-room parent accommodation that can allow parents to stay overnight with their baby
• Increased privacy and dignity at times where mums may be establishing breastfeeding
• Reduced noise disturbance and ability to create bespoke environments for babies’ and families’ individual needs
• Access to external views and natural light
• Adjoining rooms giving parents the option to care for siblings (multiple births) and socialise if they would like to speak to other parents and carers
• Inbuilt outdoor space to allow babies and families to spend time outside in a clinically equipped and safe environment
• The floor layout and use of glazing provides optimum line of sight and clinical efficiencies
• Improved access to areas through dedicated visitor lifts, separating clinical and public flows

The new flyover can be viewed here.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

This is an incredibly exciting time for the project and the future of our new world-class Women’s and Children’s Hospital which is on track for completion by 2031.

The hospital’s huge eight-storey carpark is nearing completion and South Australians are getting a glimpse of what’s to come inside the new hospital building.

This hospital is being developed to stand the test of time – we’re planning for now and into the next 100 years for South Australian women, mothers, babies, children, and their families.

This will be a far better and bigger hospital than the Liberals’ plan which was to build on a smaller site with no room for expansion for either the Women’s and Children’s or the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Attributable to WCHN Acting CEO, Rachael Yates

We're entering an incredibly exciting phase for both the project and the future of the new hospital as our community gets a sneak peek at the transformation that will take place here in the years ahead.

We’ve engaged heavily throughout this process which is evident in the benefits the new hospital will have for our staff and consumers.

The bigger and individual rooms allow for privacy in what can be a vulnerable and difficult time for families, but also to allow families to experience the moments of joy and celebration in their own space.

Attributable to Ben Symons, EGM SA and WA – Construction, Lendlease

The progress on the car park and the commencement of schematic design are major construction milestones that reflect the momentum building on one of South Australia’s most significant infrastructure projects.

Working alongside our client, we’re looking forward to building on this as we approach the next exciting stage for the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.