Page 917 - Week 03 - Thursday, 7 April 2022
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The $18 million operational commissioning investment will ensure that we have a clear and effective change management program and that is effectively managed and adopted by staff, that building systems and processes are integrated with clinical procedures that are tested under a controlled and robust framework, and it will also ensure that staff are appropriately trained in building systems and technologies and safe clinical work practices. It will provide simulation training for clinical and non-clinical staff on patient care and emergency management procedures. This will lead to seamless integration as specialist service providers with the clinical service when that is trialled and tested. Any potential risks to patient care safety and security will be identified and mitigated prior to the facility opening.
This further investment will support safe change management practices and increase staff morale, which further enhances staff retention and skill development. It shows our commitment to our staff and to delivering this significant health infrastructure project that will transform Canberra Hospital.
MS ORR: Minister, how will the opening of the critical services building link in with the larger health infrastructure program at the Canberra Hospital?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary question. The Canberra Hospital is undergoing significant change. We have well and truly begun the work on further transforming the campus for now and for the future of health care for the Canberra community and the surrounding region.
In December 2021, the ACT government launched the Canberra Hospital master plan, the blueprint for how we will continue the health infrastructure transformation we are continuing at the Canberra Hospital campus over the next 20 years. The master plan builds on the ACT government’s nearly $1.3 billion in investments in health infrastructure over the past decade and the Canberra Hospital expansion project that is, of course, currently underway. It incorporates improvements that we were already making and outlines how this work will continue into the future to meet the community’s needs.
Implementation of the master plan will progressively transform the campus over a number of stages and consider how best to utilise existing critical buildings and services and the buildings that are currently under construction, such as the critical services building. Indeed, this government is investing in growing our healthcare capacity and ensuring future generations of Canberrans and their families have access to the very best healthcare facilities.
I am looking forward to seeing this building rise out of the ground over the course of the year as we continue to work to deliver this state-of-the-art facility. As I have said, the project is a record investment in the future of our health system, the largest health infrastructure project since self-government. It is a key part of our plan to ensure that all Canberrans and those in the surrounding regions that we support have access to the health services they need when they need them.
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