Blacktown Hospital given keys to the future

Builder AW Edwards has handed over the keys for Blacktown Hospital’s new acute services building, officially marking the end of major construction for this stage of the project.

The new acute services building will open this year with purpose-built facilities for emergency, operating theatres, maternity, birthing, newborn care, women’s health and other services.

“The handover of the keys marks the end of major construction and the start of operational commissioning, which is getting the hospital building ready to open,” said Blacktown Hospital acting general manager Ned Katrib.

“In addition to all the items installed by the builders, our commissioning team has a further 16,000 items which we are responsible for installing. This includes everything from soap dispensers and wheelchairs to computers, hospital beds and operating theatre equipment.”

“Commissioning also provides us with time to complete staff training and familiarisation, which is critical for the successful opening of the new building.”

Commissioning will include hospital tours open to all staff and volunteers, whether they are moving into the new building or not, and opportunities for consumers, community members and other groups to look around before it opens for first patients.

“The project team will soon be advising the tour program so everyone can come in and have a look around,” Ned said.

“The new building is very easy to navigate, but it’s much more exciting to walk around and see it for yourself.

“It has been carefully designed with staff and consumers to provide the best possible healthcare environment for patients, and a great workplace for our staff.”

The building includes spacious clinical areas, state-of-the-art technology, comfortable patient rooms, more carer zones, and vibrant artwork.

“Opening a new hospital is a demanding exercise for staff and it is very important to us to ensure that services open in a safe, well-planned and responsible way,” Ned said.

“For the comfort and safety of patients and staff, we expect that services will open in stages, and expand into the new facilities as demand increases.”

For builder AW Edwards, the handover is a major milestone.

The company was awarded the contract in 2016, and have clocked up almost a million work hours on site.

“It’s been a privilege to deliver this important piece of health infrastructure for western Sydney,” AW Edwards Senior Project Manager Kyle Sweeney said.

“This project has also enabled us to create more than 140 training opportunities for workers, including opportunities for more than 100 apprentices, people under 25, and indigenous workers.”

Kyle said he is confident that staff and patients will be impressed by the new building.

“We’ve worked very closely with Health Infrastructure and Western Sydney Local Health District to make sure this building is world class,” Kyle said.

Commissioning and opening of the new acute services building will be followed by the next package of work, including the redevelopment of the plaza outside the current emergency department.

This area will be transformed into a landscaped new forecourt and entry, with seating, gathering areas and artwork including mosaics and a major welcome sculpture.

The Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital Expansion Project is one of nearly 90 health infrastructure projects currently underway in NSW.

Health Infrastructure project director Chris Horton said the collaboration with AW Edwards has been an exemplar for future projects.

“AW Edwards delivered a complex and critical piece of infrastructure, and maintained collegiate and collaborative relationships with all the major stakeholders throughout the construction program,” Chris said.

“The construction of the new acute services building is a great achievement and on behalf of the project I would like to congratulate the AW Edwards team on this major achievement.”

For more information, visit bmdhproject.health.nsw.gov.au