A significant milestone in rescuing the Royal Hobart Hospital has now been taken with the start of construction works for the temporary inpatient facility.
The 54-bed capacity inpatient facility will be built in the RHH Liverpool Street forecourt.
Today I was very pleased to inspect the start of works on the temporary facility which will see key acute services accommodated during the redevelopment, allowing patients to remain on site with access to critical medical facilities.
This is a major improvement on the previous government’s dangerous and incomplete plan to send acute care patients into inappropriate accommodation in the suburbs of Hobart.
The RHH Liverpool Street forecourt is now a construction zone and changes to access and parking are in place to ensure patient, staff and visitor safety.
Key changes are:
Access to the RHH emergency department and Zouki café will remain the same.
Tasmanian company Fairbrother is the successful sub-contractor for the $22 million facility which is expected to be completed and demolition of B-Block underway by April next year.
Every effort will be made to reduce inconvenience during construction, but safety will always be put first and I ask that staff and those visiting the RHH to be patient.