Queensland Health staff will this week begin the move into Queensland’s newest public hospital, the $1.5 billion Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital at South Brisbane.
For the next five to six months staff will move more than 50,000 pieces of equipment into 3500 rooms and get the feel of Queensland’s first purpose-built children’s hospital.
Dr Peter Steer, Queensland Health’s chief executive of the Children’s Hospital and Health Services said after almost a decade of debate the outcome would consolidate a “fragmented children’s health service” in Brisbane.
“As an example – a six year old who presents to the Mater Children’s emergency department with some nose bleeds and some bruising – could be diagnosed in a blood count with leukemia,” Dr Steer said.
“Now leukemia cancer care is delivered at the Royal Childrens and the child gets transferred to the Royal Childrens,” he said.
“He has their induction chemotherapy and has a nasty and unusual side effect which causes heart failure.
“The place that treats kids’ heart failure is at the Mater.
“So, in a critical condition, this child ends ups spending a number of weeks in the Mater intensive care, because that is where the cardiac expertise is.”
“Once the child has recovered the child is transferred back to the Royal Childrens to continue his cancer care.”
“And that is an example of the fragmented care that we have.”
On another level the new hospital offers state of the art care and equipment backed by a new children’s health research facility, being build alongside.
“At a facility level, the provision for patients and their families is second to none; its is world class,” Dr Steer said.
“And what we can now do to provide an environment for our patients and their families, and an experience, when they do need this specialised care is second to none.”
The Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, named after pioneering women’s health clinician Lady Phyllis Cilento, is tipped to be open to the public in late 2014.
Meanwhile a spokesman for Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said “watch this space” when asked about specifications for a new private hospital on the site of the old Royal Children’s Hospital at Herston would be released.
In February 2013, Mr Springborg announced plans for a new elective surgery hospital on the old Royal Children’s Hospital site.
While expressions of interest were called in June 2013, there have been no further steps to begin building the new hospital at Herston.
At South Brisbane, media groups were on Monday given a look through the 11-storey complex, next door to the Mater Children’s Hospital on Stanley Street, close to the South Bank site.
There are two tall atriums inside the building – adding a real sense of space – and light timber panelling.
Parents can drive and enter the building from the road behind Stanley Street at Woolloongabba but there are several walking entrances from Stanley Street and opposite the nearby Sommerville School.
Bus and train stations are within walking distance.
Looking like it is built from “toy blocks”, the bright green complex includes 359 beds – 25 per cent more beds (70 beds) than the existing Royal Children’s and Mater Children’s hospitals combined.
It includes;
– 48 emergency department treatment bays;
– 14 operating theatres;
– a child and youth mental health unit;
– a sleep medicine service-;
– a helicopter pad for emergency retrievals;
– overnight emergency accommodation for parents/carers-;
– 11 rooftop terraces and gardens;
– family resource centre;
– and new Radio Lollipop studio and Starlight Express Room.
Day surgery and outpatients areas are colour coded, while overnight stay rooms and rooms where children and their parents can spend longer periods of time are comparitively large.
Most rooms, day surgery and outpatients area include links to Foxtel and shows from an outside performance area can be sent straight to the televisions of young patients.