The Peel Health Campus continues to shape up as a key battleground in the upcoming state election.
WA Health Minister Roger Cook was in town to tour the local hospital's latest upgrades on Tuesday morning, which include a new fast-track area, new holding bays designed for more privacy, reconfiguration of the existing triage area, redesign of the emergency department waiting room and the addition of seven beds to the short stay unit.
Mr Cook said the upgrades would improve the services Peel residents receive from the hospital.
"We are expanding the emergency department waiting area to make sure people can wait in more comfort," he said.
"We are also making changes to the triage arrangements so patients have more privacy and in this particular part you see the development of the 13-bed short stay unit.
"This is an important part of the redevelopment as it means we have better patient flow, it means we can deal with the workload in the emergency department much better, and more importantly it means patients can get the care they need in the place in which they live."
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Peel Health Campus chief executive Andrew Tome said the expansions would lead to better patient care.
"The Peel community have been asking for an expansion for quite a period of time and it is great to see that investment coming through," he said.
"It will be an expanded short stay unit so it will go from eight to 13 beds so that will help with the flow through the emergency department, better patient care, and better outcomes."
Upgrades are expected to be completed by January 29 and the new short stay unit will receive its first patients in early February.
These changes come ahead of the Labor government's $152 million election commitment to redevelop the Peel Health Campus in 2023.
However, WA Liberals leader and Dawesville MP Zak Kirkup said more redevelopments needed to start as soon as possible.
"As a resident, a volunteer ambulance officer in Dawesville and as a member of parliament, I am passionate about seeing the redevelopment at Peel Health Campus started immediately," he said.
"We have seen record levels of gridlock, reaching times in Mandurah where no ambulances were available.
"Since 2017 I have been working alongside our community to fight for expansions at Peel Health Campus - for years Labor have ignored us and continued to put lives at risk."
Mr Kirkup has pledged $167 million to a Peel Health Campus upgrade this year should he be elected.
