The ACT Government has unveiled the 22 new operating theatres in Canberra Hospital’s Critical Services Building.

The new building is on track to open later this year.

As well as the new theatres, the Critical Services Building will include a bigger emergency department, expanded intensive care unit and new inpatient wards.

The theatres are equipped with a range of advanced features aimed at revolutionising surgical practices in the ACT.

These include:

• an Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) Suite, providing surgeons with real-time images of the brain during procedures
• three hybrid theatres equipped with cutting-edge angiography and CT angiography systems to support a variety of vascular surgeries and guided procedures
• two Interventional Radiography Suites, relocated from Building 12 to the Critical Services Building, offering a comprehensive range of diagnostic and interventional services
• 16 digital operating theatres.

Access to the latest technology will improve image quality and resolution in the hospital’s operating theatres.

This will lead to more precise diagnoses and improved patient outcomes.

The new hospital building will significantly improve patient flow and experience, according to Dr Lance Lasersohn, Clinical Director of Anaesthetics for Canberra Health Services.

“I’m excited about the technology's co-location with angiography and the new technologies that will be available in the new building, which will make work more exciting for the workforce and enable the hospital to accommodate more patients.”

The theatres are located on level 3 of the Critical Services Building, within the Perioperative Unit, which also features:

• two spacious waiting areas
• a Day Surgery Unit with 40 beds for admissions and post-operative care
• a recovery area
• a discharge lounge.

Staffing within the Perioperative Unit will be expanded to manage the operation of the new theatres and improve patient flow.

Recruitment efforts are currently underway, with Canberra Health Services implementing a range of strategies and initiatives aimed at targeting and attracting healthcare workers to the ACT.

The operating theatres are connected to the Sterilising Services Unit via dedicated lifts. This improves efficiency by facilitating the swift transfer of instruments between clean and dirty areas.

A Patient Transfer Link bridge has also been added to the Critical Services Building. This provides a private clinical connection between the new and existing hospital buildings. It enhances hospital efficiency and patient privacy by separating clinical pathways from public areas.

^{One of the new operating theatres}

^{Recovery bays}

^{Recovery bays}

^{Children’s waiting area in the Perioperative Unit}

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