Works starts on Adelaide TQEH

DEMOLITION is underway at Adelaide’s The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) to clear ground for a new Clinical Services Building in the western suburbs.

The works, as part of the state government’s $3 billion hospital build program, will the delivery of a brand new emergency department, intensive care unit and operating theatres.

“This $314 million investment will significantly improve services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and deliver on our commitment of providing care closer to home for South Australians in Adelaide’s western suburbs,” said Stephen Wade, minister for health and wellbeing.

The government’s hospital build program is part of the delivery of a record $7.4 billion investment into health in South Australia.

“This major redevelopment will provide the infrastructure required to improve patient services and flow, and ease the pressure on our busy metropolitan hospitals.

As well as providing the western suburbs with access to new state-of-the-art facilities, the works will relieve pressure on emergency departments and see more South Australians living within close proximity to high quality healthcare.

“The redevelopment will ensure our community has access to high-quality healthcare services in a contemporary facility that will meet their future needs,” said Rachael Kay, executive director of capital projects at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network.

The new building upon completion will include a larger emergency department with 46 treat bays and a four-bed behavioural assessment unit, 12 operating theatres, a cardiac catheter laboratory and procedural suite and a 14-bed intensive care unit.

Additionally there will be a new central sterile supply department, a 52-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility, a medical imaging department, a pathology laboratory and staff support areas.

“The start of demolition signifies a major milestone in the redevelopment project and from here staff, patients and visitors will see the site transform as we head towards construction,” said Kay.

In July, the designs for Adelaide’s new $1.95 billion Women’s and Children’s hospital were unveiled, with the hospital set to accommodate more than 20,000 additional patients per year.

The demolition will see a current unused building on the site clear the way for new construction which is expected to commence later this year, while the entire redevelopment is scheduled for a 2024 completion.