The Andrews Labor Government will expand the Monash Medical Centre emergency department, with an exclusive area just for children so our sickest kids get the care they need sooner.
As the first young patients move into the new co-located Monash Children’s Hospital, Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Health Jill Hennessy today announced the $63.2 million boost, included as part of the Victorian Budget 2017/18.
The investment will mean more adult and paediatric beds and more space, and will give doctors and nurses the modern facilities they need to deliver the highest quality emergency care, more quickly.
Emergency areas for adults and children will be separated, ensuring children are treated with the privacy they need. Mental health patients will also have their own dedicated area.
In total, there will be an additional 24 emergency department cubicles and an extra 10 short-stay beds for patients who need care for less than 24-hours.
The redevelopment will also improve access for ambulances arriving at emergency, meaning patients will get the vital care they need faster, and address traffic and congestion concerns making it safer and more efficient.
The former Liberal Government had cut the emergency department from the Monash Children’s Hospital project, despite huge growth in the number of paediatric patients presenting to emergency over the past six years.
These presentations are expected to reach nearly 135,000 a year by 2031/32, up from around 86,000 in 2015/16.
From today, the world-class Monash Children’s Hospital will begin treating sick babies, children and adolescents needing specialist care from Melbourne’s booming south-east suburbs, the Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland.
After three months of careful planning, Monash Health will move up to 130 young patients from two paediatric wards via bed, cot incubator or wheelchair into the new hospital. It will treat an extra 7000 children and provide an additional 60,000 specialist treatments each year, as well as over 40,000 admissions every year.
The Labor Government provided $3.8 million to build a helipad on the Monash Children’s Hospital rooftop so kids facing life-threatening emergencies can be transferred to hospital quicker.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“The new Monash Children’s Hospital will provide the very best care in the very best facilities – and now they’ll have a world-class emergency department to match.”
“As any parent knows, our emergency doctors and nurses provide calm, compassionate care when it's needed most. This expansion will mean they can keep doing just that, even as our population grows.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“Like the rooftop helipad, we’ve once again stepped in and provided funding for the emergency department expansion after it was cut by the former Liberal Government.”
“The new and expanded emergency department will mean sick kids can be treated quicker, in a calm setting that is respectful of their privacy and needs.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020