To respond to Canberra’s growing and ageing population and the increasing demand for health care services, the ACT Government is building a new northside hospital in Bruce.
The new northside hospital represents an investment of more than $1 billion and will be the largest single health infrastructure project to be delivered in the Territory’s history.
The new northside hospital will be built on the existing Calvary Hospital campus in Bruce. It will be owned by the ACT Government and operated by Canberra Health Services, delivering a more efficient and effective health system for Canberrans. It will be a modern, state-of-the-art hospital for patients, visitors and its workforce. It will provide more beds and increased services than are currently offered.
Vision
The ACT Government’s vision is for a person-centred health system that is accessible, accountable, and sustainable. There are many benefits for public hospitals in the ACT to be managed under one operator such as easier transition and management of patients between sites and greater opportunities to strengthen and build our health workforce.
Transitioning operations of the hospital to Canberra Health Services creates an opportunity to plan and deliver a health system networked under one provider – with the ability to make the largest ACT Government health infrastructure investment, strengthen workforce opportunities and co-ordinate services.
With construction to commence by mid-decade, the northside hospital will provide public health services to Canberrans for decades to come.
Background
In 2017-18, the ACT Government carried out a scoping study for expanded northside hospital facilities. Demand projections undertaken by the ACT Health Directorate showed the need for a significantly larger hospital on the northside than is currently provided at Calvary Public Hospital Bruce.
In 2020, a condition assessment of Calvary Public Hospital infrastructure was undertaken, along with an options analysis for the building of a new northside hospital. The options analysis recommended that a new northside hospital be built, rather than a remediation and expansion of the existing hospital.
The ACT Government committed in the 10th Parliamentary and Governing Agreement to plan and design a new northside hospital, with the aim to start construction by mid-decade.
In 2020, a Northside Hospital Project Team was established to:
• undertake scope and early design of the new northside hospital
• investigate the best location for the hospital.
On 31 May 2023, the Health Infrastructure Enabling Act 2023 passed in the Legislative Assembly.
The Act enabled the ACT Government to acquire part of the land on which the Calvary Public Hospital sits in Bruce. It also enabled the ACT Government to transition the operation of the hospital to Canberra Health Services.
On 3 July 2023, Calvary Public Hospital Bruce transitioned across to Canberra Health Services and is now known as North Canberra Hospital.
Community Consultation
In 2022, we began talking to our community to understand what was need from a new northside hospital. These early engagement activities aimed to understand what the Canberra community wants and needs from a new northside hospital.
The first phase of engagement was centred around an online survey where we received over 850 responses from across the community. The purpose of the survey was to explore people’s experiences in accessing ACT public health services, their perception of the health system and to understand what they want and need from the ACT’s health services.
The next phase of engagement focused on helping shape the early planning and design of a new northside hospital. During October and November 2022, we ran over 20 engagement activities including drop ins at local health facilities, pop ups at local shopping centres, stakeholder workshops and briefings and presentations at local community councils. We heard from over 400 people and organisations around plans for the new northside hospital. All feedback received during this phase was analysed and categorised into 11 key themes, with over 60% of responses relating to clinical services, experience and quality.
Feedback received during this early planning and design consultation was used to help inform options for the new hospital and funding decisions by the ACT Government. ACT Health Directorate is also engaging directly with clinicians to inform clinical planning, scope and early design for the new northside hospital.
This is just the beginning of our conversations with the community, stakeholders, and clinicians on the northside hospital, with more opportunities to have your say through future stages of the project.
For more information on community consultation, visit the YourSay website.
Contact us
To find out more about the northside hospital, visit Built for CBR .
For questions relating to the transition visit www.act.gov.au/northsidehospital email CHS.northsidehospitalenquiries@act.gov.au or call the Transition Team Hotline on (02) 5124 0400 (8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday).
