The $689 million Royal Hobart Hospital Redevelopment is now just months away from practical completion.
The builder, John Holland Fairbrother, has provided a revised construction program for the Redevelopment with a forecast Practical Completion date of September this year.
This is one month later than previously forecast.
However, the RHH Project Team has taken the precautionary view that there remains a risk this could occur closer to end of this year, noting the well‑publicised issues the builder has faced in delivery of the project to date.
The Project Team will continue to apply a high level of scrutiny to the project to ensure it is delivered as soon as possible, and is of the quality we expect.
Given the revised completion date, the Secretary of the Department of Health has provided advice to Government on the most appropriate pathway forward and timeframes for operational commissioning.
The commissioning of patient services on the ground floor, such as the new Access and Patient Flow Unit, can commence shortly after Practical Completion with some services expected to be migrated by the end of this calendar year.
The Access and Patient Flow Unit will provide a range of services to patients, including the facilitation of admissions and discharges as well as a transit lounge.
It is then planned that movement of major inpatient services take place in February next year.
The process of commissioning a new hospital is complex, and requires significant planning and focus on a wide range of tasks including planning the movement of services, staff orientation and training in the new building, the testing of clinical scenarios and new models of care.
Transition in February 2020 will provide appropriate time to ensure the safe and efficient relocation into K-Block with minimal impact on operational services. This will ensure patients and staff benefit from the additional capacity as soon as it can be safely commissioned, well before winter next year.
The RHH Redevelopment is the largest health infrastructure project Tasmania has ever seen, and the Hodgman Liberal Government is proud to finally be delivering it, after it was talked about for generations.
The 2019-20 Budget is about maintaining the momentum and investing for growth in essential services. That’s why we are delivering $132 million to progressively open new beds at the RHH over the next four years.
This funding will see more than 100 new beds open at the RHH over the next four years, with an estimated additional 460 full-time equivalent frontline health staff.
RHH Ground Floor: https://roundme.com/tour/52660/view/133022/