As part of our commitment to provide health care where and when Canberrans need it, we are building a hydrotherapy pool on Canberra’s southside.
The ACT Government allocated $8.5 million in the 2022-23 ACT Budget to design and build a new southside hydrotherapy pool, to be located next to the Tuggeranong Lakeside Leisure Centre.
The pool will offer a vital service for a wide range of people. It provides people with mobility issues access to an important form of recreation, it helps people better manage chronic pain caused by illnesses such as cancer, migraine, osteoarthritis, and arthritis, and it offers the opportunity to help people recover from injury or surgery.
ACT Health has been carefully developing detailed designs for the facility with architecture firm GHD, using the vital advice from community and stakeholders to ensure we are delivering a modern facility that meets the needs of the community now and in the years to come.
The hydrotherapy pool has reached its latest milestone, with the lodging of the development application, with construction expected to start at the end of this year.
Stakeholder Engagement
Over the past three years, ACT Health has consulted with hydrotherapy pool users, members of the community, professional health providers and user groups to help identify a preferred location, design principles for the centre and the design and arrangement of critical features and elements in the centre.
The contributions provided by stakeholders and users during the consultation has helped ensure the centre is accessible, safe, and comfortable for the range of users and their needs.
To ensure the centre provides the full range of therapy, rehabilitation, exercise, and relaxation services required to support people who need and benefit from hydrotherapy, ACT Health has consulted with:
- Health Care Consumers Association of the ACT
- Arthritis ACT
- Spinal ACT
- Council on the Ageing (COTA)
- Disability Reference Group
- Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ACT)
- Australian Physiotherapy Association ACT Branch
- People with Disabilities ACT Inc
- ACT Mental Health Consumers Representative (Network)
- Canberra Health Network
- Individual users
- disability groups and community groups.
In June 2023, ACT Health presented the proposed design to stakeholders and pool users to seek feedback on the final design. Feedback from stakeholders and users has been incorporated into the final design and helped improve important features of the centre. This included providing two showers in the recess area adjacent to the pool, the accessible change room will be gender-inclusive, and additional seating around the pool.
For more information, visit the Built for CBR website.
