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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-14 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

Public Works Committee: New Mount Barker Hospital

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:27): I move:

That the 101st report of the committee, entitled New Mount Barker Hospital Project—Enabling and Early Works Package, be noted.

The Mount Barker District Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, commonly known as the Mount Barker Hospital, is operated by the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network and provides care for more than 200,000 people in the catchment area. The hospital currently comprises a 34-bed facility, with services including 24-hour accident and emergency, inpatient and day patient surgical and medical, obstetrics and gynaecology, chemotherapy, renal dialysis, palliative care, allied health, and community-based services.

It serves a critical role in stabilising patient flow to Adelaide's metropolitan hospitals and is presently experiencing pressure from rapid population growth in Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills—growth which is forecast to continue over the next 10 years. In response, the government has committed $320 million to vital redevelopment of the hospital through the new Mount Barker hospital project. The new hospital will significantly increase the local health network's capacity and services by tripling inpatient beds, expanding the capacity of specialist beds, delivering new outpatient facilities, and establishing a new mental health unit.

The proposed enabling and early works package will support the efficient delivery of the project's main works while enabling ongoing clinical and support functions, temporarily reconfiguring on-site facilities to maintain operation, developing offsite resources for decanting and relocating staff, and improved parking, site entry and traffic flow.

The early works package has an allocated budget of $22.5 million drawn from the overall project budget for the new Mount Barker hospital project. These early works will construct onsite building service upgrades and install temporary facilities to allow for the eventual main works package with the proposed scope of works including:

demolition and site preparation;

providing continuity of operational services and storage;

providing continuity of engineering services, as well as a temporary emergency generator;

replacing hot water services;

relocating the medical suction plant;

replacing a gas humidifier;

building new sewer connections and installing a new main distribution board;

creating a new access road to maintain car park access and a temporary link road and loading dock;

providing offsite facilities for staff who are required to decant from the hospital during construction; and

providing alternative parking solutions to maximise car parking on site during construction works.

The main aim of these works includes strategies to ensure that the decanting of hospital services to temporary settings does not interrupt their operation, as well as prepare for their return upon completion of the new hospital building. Additionally, it will ensure that the delivery of care to the community is maintained during the new hospital's construction.

The early works are anticipated to begin by the end of this year and are scheduled for completion in October next year. The main works package is intended to commence following completion of this early works project.

SA Health has assembled a team of professional service contractors including architects, planners and engineers who will engage secondary professional service contractors as necessary for specific aspects of the project. The managing contractor is being engaged with assistance from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport using established evaluation and contracting processes.

Project delivery will follow best practice principles for project procurement and management, as advocated by the state government and construction authorities, including:

extensive consultation to ensure incorporation of new and emerging health strategies;

evaluation and review of solutions against the brief;

development of a formal communication channel between end users, stakeholders, the local health network and SA Health;

preparation of a project program that reflects the project's scope;

establishing a cost plan;

the appointment of professional service contractors; and

scheduling regular reviews of design, documentation and construction.

The project team is also responsible for risk management and mitigation strategies. Key risks identified for the project include:

construction carried out in proximity to an operational clinical environment, which will require clear, ongoing communication with site management and the hospital;

construction undertaken near an ambulance arrivals point, which will require clear, ongoing communication with the South Australian Ambulance Service;

the possibility of potential service disruptions, for which service cutovers and planned service diversions will minimise disruption; and

the management of traffic.

Given the limited scope of the early works, SA Health states there are few opportunities to integrate sustainable development initiatives into the early works package. However, the works have been designed to facilitate the integration of such measures during the main works. The project team has established processes to ensure sustainability issues are incorporated during all phases of the project, and SA Health notes the importance of incorporating these principles into this early works package as a key design consideration.

The team has also recognised sustainability opportunities through recycling suitable waste products during demolition, procuring materials from certified environmentally responsible sources, using materials with recycled content, and selecting materials which are highly durable.

SA Health states that the Central Archive in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation division has no record of discovered Aboriginal sites in the proposed works locations. Additionally, there is no record for this site on the state Heritage Register.

The new Mount Barker hospital project team have been in ongoing consultation with stakeholders and the community regarding the design and construction of the new hospital as well as the management of ongoing health service delivery and long-term operational considerations. To ensure that safe hospital operations continue throughout the project life cycle, specific consultation has occurred with facilities management personnel from the local health network. The health network will also manage required communications concerning site planning and logistics, with a targeted communication strategy to be deployed once relocation works and service changeover dates are finalised.

The committee examined written and oral evidence in relation to the new Mount Barker hospital project—enabling and early works package. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were: Tim Packer, Acting Deputy Chief Executive, Corporate Infrastructure Division, Department for Health and Wellbeing; Bronwyn Masters, Chief Executive Officer, Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network; Layton Waters, Manager Major Projects, Department for Infrastructure and Transport; and Jason Timberlake, Senior Associate, Swanbury Penglase Architects. I thank the witnesses for their time. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the member for Kavel for his written statement in support of this project in his electorate.

Based upon the evidence considered and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public work.

Motion carried.

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