Bigger, better, safer – Ballarat Hospital’s $461 million revamp

Ballarat families can look forward to even better, safer and faster healthcare thanks to a brand new Ballarat Base Hospital.

Funded by the Victorian Government in the 2018/19 State Budget, the $461.6 million revamp will completely rebuild and redevelop the hospital, giving the community and the region’s hard-working doctors and nurses the world-class facility they deserve.

As a large regional hospital, the Ballarat Base has seen significant growth in demand in recent years. The redevelopment is designed to meet future demand for healthcare in Ballarat and beyond, with the region’s population set to grow by about 20 per cent over the next decade.

The redevelopment will create a new emergency department, a modern acute mental health facility, and intensive care unit, a women and children’s hub, an expanded critical care ‘hot floor’ and at least 100 extra inpatient beds. The ‘hot floor’ will bring together operating theatres, procedure rooms, endoscopy suites, consulting rooms, and high dependency care facilities. It’s expected this facility alone will deliver an additional 4,000 surgeries each year, while the revamped hospital will have the capacity to treat at least 18,000 more emergency patients and an extra 14,500 inpatients each year.

Ballarat Health Services is already one of the region’s largest employers, and the Ballarat Base Hospital project will grow even more local jobs. The redevelopment will create 1,384 construction jobs, and once the project is complete, up to 1,000 extra ongoing full time equivalent positions. The project is expected to be completed by 2026.