The Allan Labor Government's new Footscray Hospital is now open.
From 8:00am this morning:
- 180 patients will be transferred from the old hospital throughout the day
- The old hospital ED will close
- Thousands of staff will start their first shift in the new hospital
- Services including the ED, surgery, ICU, coronary care and mental health will begin
Some 4,500 staff have undertaken training to make the big move.
The new Footscray Hospital gives families in the western suburbs faster care, closer to home.
Once fully operational, it will have more than 500 beds - an increase of 200 - and treat an additional 15,000 patients every year.
Patients needing planned surgery will benefit from new state-of-the-art theatres.
The theatres also link to other Western Health sites for education, case planning and better patient care.
Radiology services will be faster for patients with three premium CT scanners including one in the ED.
It also has an expanded MRI capacity, increasing from one to three world-class machines.
The hospital is home to Victoria's first fully public pathology service, supporting Western Health's entire network.
That delivers faster and higher quality testing and diagnosis for patients.
Specialist care will also be easier to access thanks to an increase in consultation spaces.
Labor will always back Victoria's nurses and midwives - that's why the new hospital also includes an education and training centre.
Run by Victoria University, it will be used to train the next generation of nurses, midwives and allied health workers.
It will also boost skills training and employment pathways for students studying physiotherapy, speech pathology, dietetics, biomedicine, and psychology.
Only Labor invests in health, with 11 new hospitals now delivered right across the state.
You'll never see Jess Wilson and the Liberals building or opening new hospitals - only closing and cutting them.
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
"Families rely on a strong, modern and free health system - and only Labor invests in it."
"This is a new hospital for Footscray, and a new future for health care in the west."
As stated by Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas
"Our dedicated workforce at Footscray have the modern hospital they need to deliver faster, world-class care."
As stated by Minister for Health Infrastructure Melissa Horne
"Millions of hours on site and thousands of dedicated workers brought the hospital to life."
As stated by Member for Footscray Katie Hall
"The new Footscray Hospital is going to transform free, public healthcare for our community."
