Westmead’s cutting-edge hospital arrives ahead of schedule

World-class health services on western Sydney’s doorstep arrived early today for Westmead Health Precinct’s new Central Acute Services Building (CASB).

The handover of the building for early usage will help manage any COVID-19 surges in western Sydney and provide much needed services for our community.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed major construction on the 14-level hospital had finished three months ahead of schedule. This paves the way for the future treatment of patients, once operational commissioning is completed.

The Premier said the new state-of-the-art hospital building, which included two new emergency departments and more than 300 patient rooms, was the centrepiece of the $1 billion-plus Westmead Redevelopment.

“This cutting-edge building will now bring additional health services to western Sydney at a critical time,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The redevelopment will help ensure our health system continues to provide high-quality healthcare, research and education facilities for decades to come, as well as ensuring the system can deal with potential surges in COVID-19 cases.”

The early usage of the CASB provides a vital component in the NSW Government plan to expand physical and resource capacity of health facilities and areas for self-isolation due to COVID-19.

Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) chief executive Graeme Loy said he’s excited to showcase Westmead Health Precinct and bring the best and brightest to Western Sydney.

“This is the first time we’ve brought together Westmead Hospital with the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, as well as Sydney University to create a space of high quality care, learning and innovation,” Mr Loy said.

“This is a state-of-the-art building with the latest in technologies to support the high quality care from our excellent staff.”

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said once up and running, the new facility would not only transform healthcare in western Sydney, but provide a centre for ground-breaking health research to benefit every Australian.

“Our health experts will be working alongside top medical and scientific researchers in this new 14-storey hub, which embeds staff from the University of Sydney, and includes research, education and training facilities,” Mr Hazzard said.

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In June last year, the Premier, Health Minister and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet joined chief executive of Western Sydney Local Health District Graeme Loy and other guests to officially announce the topping out of the CASB.

Less than 11 months later, the tallest health building in Australia is a big step closer to serving its health community.

“This will be a significant contribution to meeting the demands on the NSW healthcare system,” Mr Loy said.

“This is a fantastic achievement and we commend the efforts of everyone involved in bringing the project to fruition.

“It reflects thousands of hours of work from so many people over several years – including our staff and the local community who provided input into the design, as well as the dedication of the project consultants and builders.”

Once fully operational, the CASB will feature:

• Two new emergency departments — one for adults and one for children;
• Digital operating theatres;
• Expanded imaging, pharmacy and logistics;
• More than 300 patient rooms (a high proportion of single rooms with dedicated carer zones);
• Education, training and research facilities on every floor;
• 1.5 floors for the University of Sydney to enable greater integration of education, research and health services delivery.

The CASB is a collaboration between Westmead Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, the University of Sydney and Health Infrastructure.