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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-05-02 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

Public Works Committee: Modbury Hospital Health Precinct

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:02): I move:

That the 61st report of the committee, entitled Modbury Hospital Health Precinct, be noted.

The Department for Health and Wellbeing (SA Health) proposes to establish a new health precinct at Modbury Hospital. This project reflects the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network's infrastructure master plan, which intends to construct additional inpatient capacity at Modbury Hospital and aligns with the government's commitment to create additional bed capacity across the public health system.

Modbury Hospital is part of the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, which is one of the largest health networks in South Australia. It is expected that the number of residents in this catchment will grow by 12 per cent over the next decade, with the most significant growth in the older 70-plus demographic, which has a high reliance on health services. The SA Health Clinical Services Plan predicts that by 2036-37, bed day demand at Modbury Hospital will grow by 66 per cent.

Originally built in 1973, the hospital currently operates an overnight bed base of 206 beds, with an additional 20 same-day beds and 44 emergency treatment spaces. The new Modbury Hospital Health Precinct will consist of a three-level building on the southern portion of the hospital and will deliver 44 additional mental health beds and 12 chemotherapy spaces, resulting in a 21 per cent increase in overnight bed places.

Of these 44 beds, 24 will be part of a new mental health rehabilitation unit to enable the delivery of non-acute, rehabilitation-focused adult mental health services for the community of northern Adelaide. The remaining 20 beds will be part of a new older persons mental health unit that will provide overnight acute medical care and will replace the current older persons mental health unit at the Lyell McEwin Hospital. The 12 chemotherapy spaces will be part of a new cancer centre, with chemotherapy chairs, consult and interview rooms, and a treatment room for minor procedures to enable comprehensive oncology care for northern Adelaide consumers.

A multideck car park will be constructed to accommodate parking requirements for consumers, visitors and staff as well as spatial provision and enabling works for future expansion for a neurobehavioural unit with linkages to the new older persons mental health unit. Ultimately, this initiative supports the progressive increase of the hospital's clinical services capability.

The capital cost of the project is $117 million. Construction works have commenced with practical completion and operation expected in December 2025. The expected outcomes include:

the establishment of 44 beds at the Modbury Hospital in contemporary facilities which are reflective of the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines;

support for closing the existing service gap for consumers requiring access to mental health rehabilitation services by way of the mental health rehabilitation unit being the first services of their kind for South Australia;

the establishment of a new cancer centre facility to improve accessibility to chemotherapy and other oncology and haematology services for the north-eastern community;

support for the progressive increase in Modbury Hospital's clinical services capability and self-sufficiency by transferring the 20-bed older persons mental health unit from the Lyell McEwin Hospital to the Modbury Hospital Health Precinct;

the upgrading and expansion of key site engineering infrastructure to enable the operation of the additional 24-bed mental health rehabilitation unit as well as Modbury Hospital's broader asset condition; and

the configuration of the new development in a manner which can support future expansion of facilities and infrastructure at Modbury Hospital, consistent with the broader infrastructure master planning being progressed by SA Health.

The new building will be constructed on the southern portion of Modbury Hospital and will provide connectivity to the existing hospital through an enclosed and elevated link way. The precinct will be configured in a stacked manner, with the 24-bed mental health unit on the lower ground floor, the 20-bed older persons mental health unit on the ground floor and the cancer centre on the first floor, alongside an administration support area.

SA Health recognises that provision of a health facility with good environmental qualities is essential to achieving a good value-for-money solution and one that will assist in improving user comfort and wellbeing as well as reducing patient recovery time. To achieve this, SA Health has incorporated ecologically sustainable development principles into the scope of the project, including:

the incorporation of accessible and flexible spaces to futureproof the building;

a facade design that encourages a high level of daylight into non-clinical spaces while mitigating solar glare as well as minimising heat gain and loss to facilitate a minimum energy reduction of 10 per cent;

improved occupant thermal comfort through the use of better air conditioning with an increase in outdoor air provision and separate air handling for wards to minimise the risk of cross-contamination; and

the use of materials that are durable, require minimal maintenance and repairs and are locally sourced from certified environmentally responsible sources where possible.

Engagement and consultation have been key themes throughout the planning process for the precinct, occurring with clinical and non-clinical staff, consumer reference groups and industrial bodies. The functional design, operation and model of care requirements were informed by clinical reference groups who were consulted throughout the concept planning of the new facilities and infrastructure at Modbury Hospital.

Consultation and engagement will continue throughout the life cycle of the project, and key stakeholders will remain informed of the works as they progress through construction into service readiness. SA Health confirms that consultation with executive stakeholders has occurred in relation to the design of the new facilities, the management of ongoing health service delivery during construction and the long-term operational considerations such as efficiency, clinical effectiveness and safety.

The committee examined written and oral evidence in relation to the Modbury Hospital Health Precinct project. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were: Melissa Nozza, Director of Capital Projects and Infrastructure, SA Health; John Harrison, Director of Building Projects, Department for Infrastructure and Transport; Deidre Kinchington, Acting Executive Director, Strategy and Innovation, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network; Catherine Startari, Director, GHD Design; and Jeremy Kelly, Principal, Silver Thomas Hanley. I thank the witnesses for their time.

I would also like to thank the member for Newland for her statement to the committee supporting this project in her electorate. I would also like to put on the record my support for this project, as I know a number of my constituents in Florey use Modbury Hospital on a regular basis—indeed, I was born at the hospital.

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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