The Peel Health Campus will see a new addition as the state government plans to build a new hospital to meet the needs of the region’s growing population.
The Peel Development Commission (PDC) said it was expecting the Peel population to increase to 444,000 by 2050.
The decision was made following an assessment by the Office of Major Infrastructure Delivery (OMID).
The state government said the new location, which is on a greenfields site, would allow the hospital to be built faster while minimising disruption to hospital services.
“It will also enable the existing facilities to be transformed into additional health services. such as aged care accommodation in the future,” the WA government said.
“The ground floor includes an expanded 39-bay emergency department, a new imaging department and a mental health emergency centre with a separate public entry.
“A new complex of operating theatres, a cancer treatment area and expanded outpatient services are included on level one.
“Other additional services at the new hospital include a dedicated palliative care unit and new inpatient wards including a new high dependency unit.”
The state government said the tender for main works would soon be released with construction planned to start next year.
Of the state government’s $1.5 billion building hospitals fund, $37.7 million would be allocated for the planning of the new hospital.
Federal Member for Canning Andrew Hastie said he welcomed the WA government’s announcement but it was driven by fear and political pressure.
“For years, I’ve fought for better health services in Peel,” he said.
“I’ve raised it in Federal Parliament 16 times, challenged Labor Ministers, and stood shoulder to shoulder with locals who’ve had to fight for better local healthcare.
“This announcement is a win for the Peel community, but it comes after five years of delay and growing frustration across our region.”
Mr Hastie said the community were facing challenges which needed to be addressed now, not in three years’ time.
“Locals are still waiting weeks for GP appointments, ambulances are still ramped and our emergency department is still pushed to the brink.”
Australian Medical Association (AMA) WA President Kyle Hoath said the state government’s investment was a win for both its members and patients across WA.
“These are the kinds of investments the AMA together with the Health Services Union, Australian Nursing Federation and the United Workers Union have strongly campaigned for,” Dr Hoath said.
“It’s been a long and difficult winter and we cannot have another winter like this.”
The AMA said it was essential the new hospital beds and expanded services matched a commitment to adequate staffing and recurrent funding.
“Investment in bricks and mortar must be matched by investment in people,” Dr Hoath said. “We need to see a clear plan for recruiting and retaining the workforce required to staff these new facilities, so that every additional bed translates into real improvements in patient care.”
AMA said it was looking forward to the details on medical and workforce planning, transition arrangements as well as the timelines for deliver.
