PLANS for the Northam Hospital redevelopment are well underway with the architects recently visiting the hospital to discuss plans with key hospital staff.
Acting-regional nurse and midwifery director Bev Hamerton said the Hospital will would be extended and upgraded to create a more contemporary health facility for improved service delivery.
“The demographic of the Wheatbelt population has changed, as has the delivery of health care and we need to reflect these changes in our service offerings,” Ms Hamerton said.
“The hospital redevelopment will allow us to deliver more care locally which in turn has significant benefits for patients.
“The need for patients to travel to Perth for medical care will be reduced and patients will be able to enjoy the support which comes from having friends and family members close by during treatment.”
Upgrades will include an expanded emergency department providing more treatment spaces, a new entrance and ambulance bay, a second operating theatre for day surgery and expanded chemotherapy facilities.
“One of the most exciting parts of the redevelopment is additional space that will be used for purpose-built consultation rooms, a wound clinic, as well as indoor and outdoor rehabilitation treatment areas,” Ms Hamerton said.
“The extra space will also allow us to increase our Telehealth capacity - a service where regional people can link with their specialists via video-conferencing for outpatient appointments, reducing the need to travel great distances for treatment.”
With the ageing population in the Wheatbelt there were high levels of chronic disease, particularly people suffering from strokes, Ms Hamerton said.
“We will be introducing more hospital beds to enable more rehabilitation and stroke care to take place in Northam,” Ms Hamerton said.
“There will also be an expansion of chemotherapy facilities, effectively tripling the number of people who can receive treatment.
“A new renal dialysis unit will service up to four patients at a time and will significantly improve the treatment quality for patients who have previously had to travel long distances for dialysis up to three times a week.”
Staff will also benefit from the redevelopment with the introduction of an e-learning training room and a well equipped clinical simulation training space.
“Staff will be able to participate in simulated clinical scenarios where they can practise their skills on high-tech mannequins,” Ms Hamerton said.
“This type of learning experience is well recognised as being effective."
Architects Bateman Architects and Hames Sharley have held a series of planning meetings with key health service staff.
“The public will be able to see what the new building extensions will look like in coming months once the design plans are finalised,” Ms Hamerton said.
The redevelopment is funded by the state government’s Royalties for Regions as part of the half a billion dollar Southern Inland Health Initiative being delivered by the WA Country Health Service, with partial funding also coming from the federal government for cancer services.
The Southern Inland Health Initiative capital works program is more extensive and complex than any project previously undertaken by the WA Country Health Service, with new builds and upgrades to 37 hospitals and health services in the Wheatbelt, South West, Great Southern and Midwest.
In the Wheatbelt, Merredin, Northam and Narrogin hospitals are being redeveloped as well as upgrades to 23 small hospitals and health centres across the region.
The next phase in the planning process moves to detailed design, followed by the formal tender process for the construction works.
Construction is scheduled to start in the middle of next year.
To find out more, go to health.wa.gov.au/southerninland.
