After the safe and successful decanting of the Royal Hobart Hospital’s B-Block last year, preparation for the structural demolition of the building is well underway with the required equipment to be assembled on site today.
The demolition is a major step in the $689 million RHH Redevelopment and demonstrates the Hodgman Liberal Government’s continuing commitment to focus on Tasmania’s health system this year.
It comes on the back of our record $6.4 billion investment over four years in health, which has allowed for improvements and reforms to be rolled out within the sector around Tasmania.
The three-staged demolition process will be completed in around six months.
The demolition and K-Block ground works, with the drilling of pilings and the installation of structural footings, will be challenging for neighbours, staff and particularly for patients.
K-Block will be built in the least disruptive, safest and most efficient way possible for all concerned.
But the inconvenience will be worthwhile because when complete, the new K-Block will have more bed capacity, more operating and procedure rooms, and more contemporary facilities.
The Government thanks the community for their support while the works progresses to deliver a state-of-the-art hospital with increased capacity of 250 beds.
Last year the RHH Redevelopment project implemented the largest capital investment program at the hospital in decades.
Approximately $50 million in construction and refurbishment works were achieved, around twenty new patient areas created - most for long-term use, and numerous administrative moves to allow B-Block to be vacated.
The project has already delivered many new, quality clinical and administrative spaces, which patients and staff are benefitting from including:
* A 54-bed, modern, health facility for general medicine and mental health patients in J-Block;
* Short stay surgery unit;
* Acute dialysis unit;
* Ambulatory care centre;
* Clozapine clinic;
* Inpatient oncology unit including iodine therapy;
* Neurology and neurophysiology rooms with Faraday cages;
* Endocrinology offices;
* Women’s and general surgery unit;
* Orthopaedic and surgical specialties unit;
* Acute rehabilitation unit;
* Medical specialties unit;
* Stomal therapy room;
* Inpatient rehabilitation rooms;
* Transit lounge for discharged patients;
* Cardiology and cardiothoracic rooms;
* Patient transport assistance scheme;
* Numerous administrative offices;
* Temporary hyperbaric medicine chambers; and
* Temporary loading dock for deliveries to the hospital.
For more information visit: www.rhhredevelopment.tas.gov.au