Health Minister Roger Cook will announce a $5 million upgrade to the Peel Health Campus’ emergency department today, the Mandurah Mail can reveal.
Over the last six months, the Mail have highlighted the need for infrastructure upgrades at the Mandurah hospital by looking at ED wait times and telling the heartbreaking stories of patients.
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Mr Cook is in Mandurah today to attend the Peel health roundtable event, where he will hear from 50 experts and community leaders about the need for upgrades at PHC. He will make the announcement at the hospital after the event.
“Today we are announcing $5 million for an upgrade to the emergency department that will see new bays developed to boost care but also an expansion and redevelopment of the ED waiting area,” he told the Mail.
“This is a really important announcement as we know the hospital has been neglected over eight years by the Barnett Government – we know we have to serve the people of the Mandurah and Peel region.
“This is an important and early investment we can make now to really ensure the hospital is coping and ultimately, through the roundtable today, we will have a medium-term plan also.”
The upgrade will include a new fast-track patient triage zone, a redesigned waiting room, new holding bays and the reconfiguration of the existing triage area.
Mr Cook said the funding would not exclude PHC from the next State Budget and was to be actioned immediately.
“We expect plans to be drawn up and completed by the end of 2018 and we want a shovel in the ground by late 2019 or early 2020,” he said.
“This is a project we will get onto now. Within a couple of months, people will see what we have in mind and we will get some feedback on that. This is something we are going to work on straight away.”
Mr Cook said the Mail’s campaign had played a part in the Government’s decision.
“It has (played a part),” he said.
“(Mandurah MP) David Templeman has been on my case from day one about what we should be doing as a Government to look after the patients in this area.
“The Mandurah Mail has led the charge to ensure the community’s concerns are heard. We have listened and I’ve seen it for myself – so we are going to make these changes to fix the problems in the short term.”
Mr Cook said the $5 million funding would complement $4.4 million the Government allocated to PHC in the last Budget.
Mr Templeman said the investment would transform the emergency department.
“This redesign will also help improve patient flow through the PHC ED and ensure the facility continues to meet the needs of the local people,” he said.
For more information and reaction, read tomorrow’s Mandurah Mail.