JourneyOnline
The Wesley Hospital will be able to treat hundreds more patients every year following the construction of a $97 million acute care facility.
The eight-storey complex will include a day surgery floor of 42 beds and a total of 120 acute care beds on four other floors.
The new building, known as the East Wing, will also accommodate two floors of cardiac-vascular beds, doubling the current capacity to 58 beds, including a new coronary care unit. All beds will be linked to the latest cardiac monitoring technology.
Director of Medical Services Dr Luis Prado said the significant expansion in cardiac care would meet future demand for the treatment of complex heart conditions using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques.
Dr Prado said patient accommodation had been designed with an emphasis on comfort, privacy and immediate access to clinical staff.
“The acute beds will accommodate surgical patients and those with complex medical conditions,” he said.
“Our ability to accommodate critically-ill patients will also be enhanced with high-dependency beds located near clinical staff areas.”
He said the new complex would allow room for the expansion of the current intensive care unit from 19 to 31 beds. It will become the largest private intensive care unit in Queensland.
Dr Prado said the redeveloped was needed because some hospital buildings were 30 years old.
“In some cases they will not meet future health care standards and the expectations of patients. In sections, the aging infrastructure is unable to accommodate new technology,” he said.
A new eight-storey complex will also be constructed at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital bringing UnitingCare Health’s total expenditure to $160million.
This will be the largest redevelopment of private hospital facilities in Queensland for more than 30 years.
Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland the Rev Dr David Pitman the re-investment into the Wesley and St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital was a clear indication of the Uniting Church in Queensland’s commitment to quality health care.
“I believe that our investment into the hospitals will ensure that quality health services continue to be provided to our patients in the future,” he said.
Dr Pitman said the Church recognized that medical technology was evolving rapidly and to keep pace with those advances, significant investment in the hospitals had to be a priority.
“Through UnitingCare we provide extensive services to the community, such as BlueCare and LifeLife. UnitingCare Health is a key element of our community services and as such is fully supported by the Church in meeting the future needs of quality acute patient care.”
Dr Pitman said the decision by the Church to fund the hospital redevelopments was based on the need to maintain both hospitals as flagships of private hospitals in Australia.
Dr Prado said the Wesley Hospital’s five year plan, developed after extensive consultation, had a strong focus on acute patient services to meet the needs of Queensland’s growing population, private patients wanting single rooms and medical specialists requiring the latest technology.
“Both the health funds and patients are seeking single private rooms. This is an issue of patient comfort and privacy, especially during consultations between doctor and patient. Currently more than half our beds are in shared accommodation.”
Apart from patients, the new complex has enhanced facilities for staff and visiting medical officers. Education and training has also featured with the inclusion of facilities on each floor for teaching clinicians across all disciplines.
Dr Prado said the new complex would ensure the Wesley remained a world-class facility able to deliver complex and rapidly evolving medical technology and treatment.
“We have had a close look at similar facilities across Australia and we believe our redevelopment will place us as one of the leading-edge private hospitals in Australia,” he said.
