Construction on 52 new beds at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is nearing completion, as the Malinauskas Government's investment in the ambulance service reaps dividends, with the best February response times in four years.

Along with 52 new beds, the $314 million Clinical Services Building will feature a bigger, modern Emergency Department (ED) specially designed by health professionals and the community who use the hospital to fast-track and better manage patient flow through the ED and hospital.

With 46 treatment bays, the new expanded ED is almost 50 per cent larger than the current ED. Recruitment is underway for additional specialised emergency medical and nursing staff to deliver care when the new QEH ED opens.

The ED will have a new three bed rapid assessment zone to provide early assessment and commencement of treatment to shorten the waiting time for patients. This will streamline and fast track patient care.

Another new initiative within the new ED is a four-bed mental health safe assessment area. This space provides a safe, therapeutic environment for mental health patients requiring extended assessment and treatment whilst in the emergency department.

All of these features are designed so patients spend less time ramped in an ambulance and receive quality care in a modern hospital environment.

The Clinical Services Building will also include 12 state-of-the-art operating theatres with advanced digital technology to assist in surgical decision making and treatment.

The new patient recovery areas are spacious with natural light and offer a streamlined admission process to reduce waiting times on the day of surgery.
Other features include a larger 14-bed Intensive Care Unit, new MRI machine and two CT scanners, as well as a new procedural suite and cardiac catheter lab.

The 52 new beds are part of the 150 newly built beds that will be opening this year as the Government builds a bigger health system. This is part of our plan to open 550 additional beds.

The dedicated rehabilitation facility – on levels three and four of the building – will pave the way for the QEH to be a key provider of inpatient general rehabilitation services for patients recovering from a stroke, burns, an amputation or who have orthopaedic issues.

The new space will be equipped with contemporary therapy spaces on each ward, single bedrooms each with their own ensuite and specialised features such as integrated ceiling lifters.

Incorporating these rehabilitation beds and services all on the QEH site will enable patients to receive the care they need faster with direct on-site access to support services such as medical imaging and pathology.

The progress on the Clinical Services Building development comes as the February Adelaide metro ambulance response times are the best for a February since 2020.

Response times have improved significantly since Labor was elected, with 70.4 per cent of Priority 1 cases reached on time, within eight minutes, in February 2024, compared to 58.3 per cent in February 2022. The target is 60 per cent.

For Priority 2 cases, 64.4 per cent were reached on time this February, compared to 54.5 per cent in February 2022.

The latest data from SA Ambulance Service means an additional 1,190 South Australians were reached on time by an ambulance in life-threatening emergencies, (either a Priority 1 or 2), in February 2024 compared to February 2022.

The full list of response times can be found on the SA Health website.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

South Australia is building. Over this year and next, we are adding hundreds of new beds to our hospital system – the equivalent of a new Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The construction of the new Clinical Services Building at the QEH will mean people in the Western suburbs have better access to high-quality health services in a modern hospital.

Redeveloping the QEH is just one plank of our comprehensive health infrastructure plan to reduce pressure across the system.

The improvements in response times – with the best February in four years – is a result of the extra ambos that have hit the road, reversing Liberal cuts and inaction.

We know the job isn’t done, but we are getting on with it.

Attributable to Chris Picton

Our priority is to provide extra capacity for our hospitals to improve patient access. The new QEH ED will be almost 50 per cent larger, with an extra 15 treatment bays helping to alleviate pressure on the ED.

We have listened to doctors and the community who use the hospital. The design of the larger ED and addition of a new four-bed mental health safe assessment area, which is a new model of care for the QEH, will deliver much-needed services for people closer to home in a contemporary setting.

Attributable to Member for Cheltenham, Joe Szakacs MP

The new Clinical Services Building will be greatly welcomed by Western suburbs residents.

This will provide modern, quality healthcare that everyone can be proud of.

Attributable to Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) CEO, Emma McCahon

Completion of the QEH redevelopment will ensure the local community has access to high quality health care services in a modern hospital setting, enabling increased capacity and improved access.

Engagement with health professionals and our community including consumers has been at the forefront of all planning and design of the new building to ensure the redevelopment reflects the needs of the community now and into the future.

This is an exciting time for CALHN and the QEH. We have commenced staff training with over 1,800 staff expected to work in the new building when it opens. Our readiness activities are underway as relocating to the new facility is a large logistics exercise over two campuses. Patient safety and clinical care will remain our focus during this time.

We thank the many staff and consumers who have contributed to this project that, once complete, will support a strong culture of world-class care, teaching, learning and innovative research for the QEH.