Canberra Hospital Expansion

Funding: $660 million

The ACT Government has expanded the Canberra Hospital campus in Garran.

This is the largest single investment in health infrastructure ever delivered in the ACT. The upgrades expand the hospital’s capacity and provide better facilities for our growing community.

Overview

The expansion created new spaces for patients, carers and healthcare teams. These include areas for rest, learning and meetings. There are also lounges and quiet zones to support recovery and wellbeing.

The new Critical Services Building (Building 5) includes:

• more operating rooms
• more treatment areas
• more intensive care beds

The project improved how the hospital connects key services. The new design makes it easier to move patients between:

• the emergency department
• the helipad
• 12 ambulance bays
• critical care areas

This helps health professionals respond quickly in emergencies.

The expansion also improves access for visitors. The modernised Building 2 foyer provides comfort for patients and visitors. The Yamba Drive entrance links directly to public transport.

The new facilities were designed to be inclusive and accessible. This makes the hospital easier for everyone to use.

Community benefits

• Created 500 jobs during construction
• Improved access for patients and visitors with:
  • a Changing Places toilet
  • lower service counters for wheelchair users
  • clearer signs to find your way around
• Built new lounges and waiting areas throughout the building
• Added an outdoor play zone for children near the new emergency department
• Brought in more natural light through larger windows, gardens, courtyards and terraces
• Delivered a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lounge with an outdoor space and yarning circle.

Project features

• Modernised health facilities to meet Canberra’s growing needs
• Built a new Emergency Department with its own entrance
• Redesigned treatment pods and added a separate children’s emergency area
• Created a new Intensive Care Unit with two outdoor terraces
• Added more family and visitor lounge areas
• Built extra operating theatres with modern equipment
• Opened a new Day Surgery Unit and a Post Surgery Pick Up Lounge
• Expanded cardiac care units and laboratories for emergency and planned care
• Delivered new inpatient wards
• Created inclusive spaces, including:
  • an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Welcome Lounge and Courtyard
  • a Veterans’ Lounge with an outdoor garden and memorial features
• Opened the modernised Building 2 foyer and Yamba Drive entrance with better links to public transport
• Added a new café, gift shop and Volunteers Hub