Local Member opens new emergency beds at Prince of Wales Hospital

Member for Coogee, Bruce Notley-Smith MP, visited Prince of Wales Hospital’s Emergency Department on Friday 16 November 2018 to officially declare eight new emergency beds open for business.

The expansion was undertaken this year to increase capacity and meet increasing patient demand as an interim measure until the new $720 million Acute Services Building is completed in 2022.

Mr Notley-Smith was joined by Tobi Wilson, General Manager, Prince of Wales Hospital, Dr David Murphy, Emergency Department Co-Director, and Liz Ryan, Emergency Department Nurse Manager, on a tour of the new treatment spaces.

“It is an honour to be the one to officially open the new beds for business here at Prince of Wales Hospital. The additional capacity will have a significant impact on waiting times,” Mr Notley-Smith said.

Stage one of the Randwick Campus Redevelopment project began in October this year, with major construction of the new $720-million Acute Services Building due to begin in early 2019.

“The redevelopment of the Randwick Hospital Campus will transform it into a world-class health, research and education hub, at the cutting edge of contemporary health care.”

Mr Notley-Smith said this is the first major upgrade to the hospital in 25 years, despite seeing around 62,000 emergency department presentations and about 380,000 outpatient appointments each year.

 “The opening of these new emergency treatment spaces is just a taste of what is to come. The new hospital will house more theatres, more beds, a new intensive care unit, a new helipad, a bigger emergency department and psychiatric emergency care and new education and research spaces,” Mr Notley-Smith said.

Mr Notley-Smith also met with local Aboriginal artist Natalie Bateman to unveil her artwork which will be displayed in the emergency waiting area.

“Natalie has family ties to the La Perouse Aboriginal community so this magnificent painting will have special meaning to local Aboriginal people visiting the hospital, making the waiting room more welcoming for them,” Mr Notley-Smith said.

The artwork was commissioned by South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation (POWHF) in partnership with the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.