The construction of the new Women's and Children's Hospital reaches a major landmark today as drilling works begin at the site of the new Women's and Children's Hospital.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said the preparation works were a vital step in the development of the new purpose-built hospital, which will create thousands of local jobs during its construction.
"Today marks an exciting milestone in the development of the brand-new Women's and Children's Hospital, and reinforces the Marshall Liberal Government's commitment to better healthcare, closer to home, by creating a world-class facility for South Australian families," Minister Wade said.
"We have invested $550 million as the first step towards the development of the hospital, which will provide the state's women and children with the most advanced hospital care, technology and medical research.
"Minister Wade said the groundworks for this landmark construction will involve sampling soil structure and groundwater quality to help inform engineering assessments as part of the master planning for the new hospital.
"The sampling activity is standard practice on projects of this scale and is another way the Marshall Liberal Government is building what matters to South Australian families."
Drilling will take place on the western end of the biomedical precinct, the new site identified for the hospital, co-locating the facility with the Royal Adelaide Hospital and within the world-class BioMed City.
"Similar work was undertaken for the Royal Adelaide Hospital development.
"We are aware of historical contamination near the site owing to the former rail yards, so the soil and groundwater samples will assess the level of contamination in the area and will dictate future preparation and planning."
Samples will be extracted from a number of locations using a large drill rig to bore 100mm holes up to 50 metres down into the earth.
The team will install new groundwater monitoring wells and also take samples from a number of the wells installed during the Royal Adelaide Hospital construction.
Minister Wade said staff will play a vital role in the planning and design of the new hospital.
"Last month, the Marshall Liberal Government launched 93 Project User Groups to support consultation, ensuring the valuable input of clinicians and other stakeholders will be a key part of the design of the new hospital."
Chief Executive Officer of the Women's and Children's Health Network, Lindsey Gough, said consultation with staff on the planning and design of the new hospital is continuing.
"We are committed to developing the new Women's and Children's Hospital in consultation with our clinicians, staff and consumers," Ms Gough said.
"Their input is vital to ensure the new hospital delivers healthcare services of the highest standard for South Australian women and children.
"We have been working with Kaurna and aboriginal monitors will be available during the geo-technical process.
"Today's development is an important step in the journey towards creating a holistic, world-class hospital."
Drilling will begin today and continue over the next few weeks.
