Northside kids to get dedicated area in new hospital emergency department

Detailed summary

Plans in place to reduce disruption while new hospital is built.

Construction of a new seven-storey clinical services building on the North Canberra Hospital campus is set to begin next year.

The ACT government has revealed early designs for the new $1.5 billion hospital, which will expand health services for people in Canberra's northern suburbs.

The government has also announced that major construction work will begin in late 2027, after enabling works are completed.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said construction of the new hospital, which is expected to open in 2031, was a "generational investment".

"It will transform healthcare across the northside by improving access to care and delivering better outcomes for patients and their families,'' Mr Barr said.

"It will also help our hospital system meet growing demand while providing stronger support for thousands of locals living with chronic illness."

The emergency department in the building will include a dedicated short-stay unit for children - something northside parents have been lobbying for in recent years. North Canberra Hospital does not have the same level of emergency department services for children as the Canberra Hospital.

To minimise disruption to services while construction is under way, the existing clinical services building will continue to operate until the new building is ready for services to be transferred there.

Canberrans will be able to provide feedback on design, landscaping and traffic arrangements through the ACT government's YourSay website and pop-up consultations.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Canberra Times. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.