2021 Year in Review: Our project and program highlights

The former Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in East Melbourne was recommissioned to include 84 beds over eight floors to offer surge response by providing care for some lower-acuity patients.

A total of 45 new hospital beds were made available at Bendigo Hospital. The new hospital also has built-in capacity for 20 additional intensive care beds if they are required in emergency situations.

Learn more about Bendigo Hospital.

The former Geelong Private Hospital was brought back to life – with the disused building upgraded and refurbished to provide a new acute respiratory assessment clinic with 50 new beds and consulting rooms.

Level 2 of Baxter House was refurbished and opened as a respiratory clinic during the pandemic.

A further 300 intensive care unit beds were commissioned at the Alfred Hospital, Austin Hospital and Monash Medical Centre in Clayton – as part of a boost to establish an extra 4,000 ICU beds across Victoria.

The expansion of Northern Hospital in Epping was accelerated by four months in 2021. The seven-storey expansion has added 96 new inpatient beds, three operating theatres, 18-bed intensive care unit, 10-bed cardiac care unit and includes a 28-bed inpatient unit with pandemic functionality. The development will allow an additional 10,000 patients to be treated every year.

Learn more about the Northern Hospital expansion.

Following an extensive evaluation process, and after achieving financial close in early 2021, construction began in March 2021 on the $1.5 billion New Footscray Hospital Project.

Set to open in 2025, the new hospital is the largest health infrastructure project in Victoria’s history. Situated in one of the state’s fastest growing regions, the new hospital will treat approximately 15,000 additional patients and enable around 20,000 additional people to be seen by the emergency department each year.

During the pandemic the communications team launched a virtual engagement room, where community members are invited to explore interviews with the builders and experience a 3D tour of the design. With kids’ activities and in multiple languages, the virtual engagement room has ensured community members can stay connected with the project.

Learn more about the new Footscray Hospital.

To inform the design of the redevelopment, the Authority consulted with the local community, including people with lived experience of mental health illness, Aboriginal health representatives, staff and volunteers at Frankston Hospital.

The consultation process sought and considered feedback on a range of topics including the prioritisation of healthcare services, the use of public spaces and amenities, cultural safety and the vision and aspirations of the community. The feedback, which included more than 580 contributions, was captured in an engagement report and provided to the respondents shortlisted to deliver the redevelopment. Through understanding the views and aspirations of the local community, the successful consortium will have the best opportunity to design and build a hospital for Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula that reflects the community it serves.

The project successfully completed its market testing process in 2020 with three bidding consortia announced to participate in a Public Private Partnership procurement process.

Learn more about the Frankston Hospital redevelopment.

In early 2021, the Authority established a community consultative committee for the $541.6 million Ballarat Base Hospital development. Chaired by former Premier and Ballarat local the Hon. Steve Bracks, alongside local members Juliana Addison and Michaela Settle, the committee provides a forum for the local community and representatives from Ballarat Health Services, local council and other key community groups to contribute to the final designs of the redevelopment, including wayfinding, family and outdoor spaces.

The project scope was increased to renew the central energy plant for the hospital and provide additional ancillary space including a new pharmacy. Planning and design development is now well underway with architects and consultants appointed.

Once completed, the redevelopment will deliver a new emergency department, a women and children’s hub, state-of-the-art theatre suite and an extra 100 inpatient and short stay beds. A new and expanded critical care floor will bring together operating theatres, procedure rooms, an expanded intensive care unit, endoscopy suites and consulting rooms – delivering capacity for an additional 4,000 surgeries every year.

Learn more about the Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment.

Work on the $123 million early parenting centres expansion and upgrade project continues to progress with most site locations announced in 2021 and design development close to completion.

The project will upgrade and expand facilities at existing centres in Footscray and Noble Park. It will also build and establish four new centres in the growing areas of Frankston, Casey, Wyndham and Whittlesea. Three new centres will be built in the regional areas of Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong. Once complete, the project will more than triple the number of early parenting centres in Victoria.

Learn more about early parenting centres expansion and upgrade.

The $675 million investment to build ten community hospitals close to major growth areas progressed with community engagement, design development and land acquisition well underway.

The program will support new developments in the City of Whittlesea, Eltham area, Point Cook and the inner-south of Melbourne region.

Construction is expected to begin in 2022 and the whole program is expected to be completed in 2024.

Learn more about the Community Hospitals Program.

The first stage of the $76.3 million Monash Medical Centre emergency department expansion opened in March 2021, delivering a new emergency department and triage entrance, a dedicated children’s emergency area, resus bay and new technology.

The next stage of the expansion is due for completion by January 2022 and will refurbish and upgrade the existing emergency department and deliver a separate 24-hour short-stay unit providing mental health and drug and alcohol urgent care and support.

Learn more about the Monash Medical Centre emergency department expansion.

The Victorian Government invested $34.9 million in the Sunshine Hospital emergency department redevelopment. Completed in early 2021, the project has expanded and refurbished the hospital’s emergency department, adding 65 new spaces – more than doubling current capacity.

It also features an expanded children’s section. This kids-only area is specially designed to provide approximately 19,700 kids a year a calmer, more compassionate environment to receive emergency care

Learn more about the Sunshine Hospital emergency department redevelopment.

Work on the $564 million Victorian Heart Hospital has not missed a beat throughout the year with the main structural works now complete and works on the façade and internal fit-out well underway.

Located on the Monash University Clayton campus, Australia’s first standalone specialist cardiac hospital will integrate clinical cardiology services, research, and education to create a centre of excellence. Patients with heart disease will have access to world-class cardiac care and research all under one roof.

Learn more about the Victorian Heart Hospital.

Designs for the $217 million expansion project were released in early 2021 and construction on the multi-million-dollar project is now underway.

Scheduled for completion in late 2023, the expansion will deliver a new emergency department resuscitation bay, three operating suites, six intensive care unit beds, 44 inpatient beds and a medical imaging and pathology unit.

Learn more about the Latrobe Regional Hospital expansion – Stage 3A.

Construction on the $115 million Wonthaggi Hospital expansion project got underway in early 2021 and is on track to be completed in 2023.

The project will deliver three operating theatres plus a procedure room, a new emergency department with 18 additional treatment spaces, and a 32-bed inpatient ward. Once complete, hospital staff will have the capacity to treat 26,000 extra emergency patients every year.

Learn more about the Wonthaggi Hospital expansion.

The $492 million investment to deliver new acute public mental health beds across four Victorian health services is underway with designs released and construction started at all sites.

As a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, people with a variety of views and perspectives were engaged to inform the facility and service designs for the expansion project. This includes people with lived experience of mental illness, such as consumers, families and carers, as well as medical, nursing and allied health professionals and other staff.

Learn more about the Mental health beds expansion program.

Planning for a $349.6 million upgrade of Thomas Embling Hospital is underway. The upgrade will deliver an additional 82 secure mental health beds and help transform Victoria’s forensic mental health system.

The expansion will include a new dedicated 34-bed women’s precinct, a 48-bed medium security men’s facility, as well as clinical administration facilities - fulfilling a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

Learn more about the Thomas Embling Hospital expansion.

In early 2021 a site was selected, and designs released for the $8.4 million Women’s Prevention and Recovery Care centre in Melbourne’s west. In mid-2021, construction on the 12-bed centre got underway.

The centre will support women requiring treatment and care for mental ill health and will be the first in Victoria to offer accommodation for accompanying dependents.

Learn more about the Women’s Prevention and Recovery Care Centre.

Construction of the new $11.9 million Youth Prevention and Recovery Care centre in Parkville is on track to be completed by the end of 2021.

Designed to increase access to safe, flexible and responsive short and medium-term mental health services, the new centre will help fill the transitional gap between community and hospital-based care.

With recovery-focused treatment and around-the clock clinical care, the new state-of-the-art facility will provide support for 200 young people aged 16-25, each year.

Learn more about the North West Youth Prevention and Recovery Care Centre

A new 12-bed state-wide Child and Family Centre is underway with designs finalised to provide specialised mental health care and wellbeing services to children aged up to 11 years alongside their families.

Staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the centre will offer early intervention treatment and care in a safe, residential setting. Up to three families will be able to stay onsite while they receive flexible, family centred therapy and support from highly trained child and family mental health clinicians.

Learn more about the Statewide Child and Family Centre.

In early 2021 a new $55.57 million aged care facility was completed and commenced operation.

Named 'Berengarra', the 90-bed facility is on the St George’s Hospital site and includes two separate three-storey houses with private rooms and garden outlooks.

The project is part of the largest ever revamp of Victoria’s public sector residential aged care facilities, delivering best-practice care, and integrated health and wellbeing services in a home-like environment.

Learn more about Berengarra.

The four-storey Wantirna Aged Care facility reached structural completion in July 2021. The $81.58 million facility, which is on track to be completed in 2022, will provide 120 older Victorians with a safe, modern, and comfortable place to call home.

Learn more about the Wantirna Aged Care facility.

A new $3.2 million dementia friendly unit at Creswick Nursing Home was completed and commenced operation. Funded via the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund (RHIF), the upgrade included a new 12-bed unit purpose-built to provide best practice dementia care.

The project also delivered improvements to the existing residential aged care facility, including a consolidation of common areas and upgrades to heating and cooling systems as well as upgraded mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and fire services in the complex.

Learn more about the Creswick Nursing Home dementia-friendly unit.

Grant funding includes the $200 million Metropolitan Health Infrastructure Fund which funded 40 projects including, $10.98 million to expand and reconfigure Sunshine Hospital’s pharmacy and $5.7 million for facility improvements enabling better care of our Elders at the Aboriginal Community Elders Services.

It also includes the $120 million Regional Health Infrastructure Fund (RHIF). The RHIF funded 107 projects including more than $4.5 million to upgrade operating theatres at Central Rural Health Daylesford so more locals can get the surgeries they need, closer to home.

Public sector aged care services also shared $10 million in funding from the Rural Residential Aged Care Facilities Renewal Program. The program funded 22 projects including $2.118 million for a new kitchen, a large family and resident community lounge and dining area, disability access improvements and nurse call upgrades at Rupanyup Nursing Home.

Developed in partnership with the Department of Health's Aged care branch, the new guidelines set out requirements for facilities to enable person-centred evidence-based practice.

These guidelines were developed to inform implementation of the ‘Modernisation of metropolitan Melbourne public sector residential aged care strategy’ to improve the quality and safety of our public sector residential aged care facilities.

Learn about the Public Sector Residential Aged Care Facilities Design Guidelines.

The Authority launched its Universal Design Policy in June 2021. The design policy is a first for any government authority in Australia. It recognises that human ability is enabled, supported and encouraged by universally designed environments that provide everyone with the opportunity to participate unassisted or with minimal support.

The policy also includes a Universal Design Charter, part of a Victorian Government strategy to increase awareness and knowledge about universal design in the community. It will apply to all projects delivered by the Authority, ensuring that we continue to deliver innovative and equitable social infrastructure for all Victorians.

Learn more about the Universal Design Policy.

The Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2018-23 set out a five-year commitment to improve the Victorian health system’s environmental performance and to ensure it is resilient to climate change.

Now at the half-way point, in 2021 we released our Sustainability performance report. The report also includes, for the first time, data on Victoria’s National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme (NABERS) hospital ratings.

Key results to date:

• carbon emissions from energy use are down 49,007 tonnes (6.2 per cent)
• we have made significant progress installing solar on public hospitals
• environmental sustainability innovation grant program funded 12 projects across 10 health services
• NABERS hospital ratings completed at 140 public hospitals, resulting in 560 certified energy ratings and 561 certified water ratings.

In 2022 work will continue to complete the actions identified in the strategy including:

• $40 million solar and LED program for public hospitals
• $5 million emissions reduction program
• energy performance contracting in our major hospitals.

In early 2021 we launched the Asset Information Management System (AIMS) which includes over 180 million datapoints for over 130 health services across Victoria.

The system covers engineering assets, buildings, land and medical equipment and is designed to provide visibility over our asset portfolio, perform strategic asset management planning, and uplift health services asset information management capabilities through continuous collaboration with the Authority.

The Victorian health asset management communities of practice continued local chapter events through virtual platforms. These bring together the functions of corporate, service delivery, finance, capital and facilities management to support health asset management practitioners to collaborate and share knowledge to improve asset management capability.

Ten regional and nine metropolitan local chapter events were held, with the development of technical advice for critical assets and asset key performance indicators.

The department publishes HTA’s (Health Technical Advice) to assist health services, consultants and contractors to effectively manage risk and performance of public health facilities.

HTA’s published include:

• Aerosol study within healthcare environments
• Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system strategies to airborne infectious outbreaks
• Isolation rooms
• Increasing bed capacity for COVID-19 patients
• Infrastructure activities during the coronavirus pandemic
• Selection of revolving doors for health care facilities

The department conducted asset condition assessments for 90 sites and reviewed 47 maintenance plans and over 80 asset management plans.