The ACT Government is also investing in bolstering the health workforce.
05 February 2024
The ACT Government is continuing to invest in the health infrastructure, services and workforce needed to meet the growing needs of the Canberra community.
The Critical Services Building at Canberra Hospital will open later this year. It will deliver a bigger emergency department, more operating theatres and more treatment spaces.
The ACT Government has announced an additional $17 million to expand emergency services in the Critical Services Building and critical care across the campus.
The additional investment includes:
- two dedicated triage points within the new Emergency Department with more triage nurses and administrative staff that will reduce waiting times to triage, leading to better outcomes for patients and staff
- a dedicated Behavioural Assessment Unit within the new Emergency Department. This six-bed unit will be staffed by a dedicated team of doctors and nurses who will provide specialist assessment and care for patients with complex needs
- an expanded Medical Emergency Team to deliver vital services across the larger acute care footprint on the Canberra Hospital campus that will grow the service with more Advanced Practice Nurses and a new Nurse Practitioner position to support critically unwell patients.
Medical imaging services will continue to grow across the Canberra Hospital campus with a new MRI machine in the Critical Services Building. The new MRI machine will enable more scans per week, helping to manage demand and reduce wait times.
This funding builds on the government’s significant investment of more than $122 million to operationalise the Critical Services Building in the 2023–24 ACT Budget.
The ACT Government is also investing in bolstering the health workforce.
An additional $27 million in funding will improve benefits for nursing, midwifery, and allied health professionals to aid in the retention and attraction of these vital health workforces.
This investment will fund initiatives currently under negotiation with industrial partners including professional development opportunities and recognition of advanced skills and specialist expertise.
There will also be a team dedicated to hiring specialist doctors and other health professionals.
The ACT Government’s investments in the well-being, development and remuneration of the health workforce aim to ensure Canberra health workers remain among the best paid in the country.
Construction on the Critical Services Building is progressing well with the new hospital building on track to open in the third quarter of this year.
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