The Malinauskas Labor Government is investing $20.1 million into a significant upgrade of The Women’s and Children’s Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), as part of the 2023-24 State Budget.
This funding forms part of the next round of $27 million of sustainment works in 2023-24 at the current hospital while planning is underway for a bigger and better new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit will be upgraded to allow clinical and non-clinical spaces to meet contemporary standards, and the continued delivery of high quality intensive care services for paediatrics at the current hospital.
A greater equipment storage area within the PICU will also be constructed, alongside a significant increase in storage space for the adjacent operating theatres, as well as dedicated clinical work and break spaces for clinicians.
The extensive upgrades to the PICU follow recommendations for improvements by the College of Intensive Care Medicine in its training accreditation review late last year.
Quotes
Attributable to Peter Malinauskas
The State Government is fundamentally committed to improving the quality of our health system.
This investment of $20 million in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit will ensure our most vulnerable children are being cared for in the most appropriate setting.
Our hardworking clinicians do a tremendous job, and we want to ensure they are able to continue delivering high-quality care within modern and safe infrastructure over the coming years while the brand new hospital is being built.
Attributable to Stephen Mullighan
This investment is one of a number of State Budget initiatives that is aimed at strengthening our health system.
The State Government is committed to improving infrastructure in our hospitals along with recruiting more health workers.
Quotes attributable to Chris Picton
This $20 million upgrade of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit will enhance services for our sickest children to ensure they continue to receive the very best care from our dedicated clinicians.
The PICU does an amazing job of caring for very unwell children and this funding boost will ensure it continues to do that while work gets underway on building a bigger and better new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Attributable to Women’s and Children’s Health Network Chief Executive Officer Lindsey Gough
We take the matters raised by the College seriously and our senior management and PICU staff have been working closely on our workforce and sustainment to address the recommendations outlined in last year’s training accreditation review.
Our immediate priority is ensuring the work outlined in our action plan addresses the key concerns raised by the College, and that it’s carried out so we can continue to deliver the best outcomes for South Australian mothers and babies.
Just this week, we have commenced construction as part of our stage one works that forms part of a redesign of the current PICU to create additional space. This will create two new equipment storage spaces and two separate meeting areas, as well as the relocation of a PICU staff break area to a dedicated, purpose-built space.
